Box Score

The Hamline volleyball team knocked away  more old demons Wednesday night. The Pipers' 3-0 victory over Gustavus  in St. Peter was a first on two counts:

• It was the first triumph over the Gusties in four years
• The win pushed their MIAC record to 2-1, marking the first time since 2007 they have been over the .500 level in conference play.

Mind you, it wasn't easy. The Pipers held off the Gusties for a 25-21 decision in the lidlifter of the evening. The next two games were even tighter -- 25-23 and 26-24. The clinching victory required a lot of late work by HU. They trailed 19-11 before taking 15 of the game's last 20 points. 

It took a balanced approach on offense and some ferocious digging on defense to up the Pipers' overall record to 9-6 under first year coach Becky Egan. 

Stephanie Kaup topped all Piper hitters with a dozen with Sam Greeney-Hamlin close behind with 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage for the night.

On the other end, Lynsey Reimer (2) corralled 19 digs and Jamie Rubbelke added 16. In all, Hamline recorded 75 digs for the night, enhancing their standing as second in the conference in that department with an average of 17.74 per set. 

Molly Hurrle was also very solid with a game high 42 assists and eight digs. Hurrle is now averaging 10.66 assists per set, a number that, had she played enough matches to be eligible, would rank her third in the country. 

The Pipers will gun for three in a row and a second straight road win Saturday when they head west to play Augsburg (14-2, 3-0 MIAC) at Si Melby Hall. The match will begin at 5:00 p.m.