SAINT PAUL, MINN.—The Hamline University women's volleyball team hosted a pair of matches at Hutton Arena against Lawrence and Central (Iowa) on Friday night. The Pipers cruised to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-8, 25-15) victory over Lawrence, and fell in a five-set match for the first time this season by a score of 3-2 (25-17, 14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12) to Central.
Friday's split gives Hamline a 4-13 record. Lawrence dropped to 4-15, while Central improved to 16-5.
Hamline 3, Lawrence 0 (25-10, 25-8, 25-15)
The Pipers, who never trailed throughout the three-set sweep, finished with a season-best 15 service aces and a .438 hitting percentage. It marked Hamline's best hitting percentage in a match since September 7, 2013, when they achieved a .578 mark in a 3-0 win over Crown at Hutton Arena. Elizabeth Lopata played a large role in that with a single-match school record .857 hitting mark, which consisted of 12 kills, 14 attempts, and zero errors. She broke Dana Luiken's previous school record of .750 (12 kills, zero errors, 16 attempts) that was achieved against Crown on September 2, 2006.
The Vikings were held to zero blocks and 26 digs, the lowest figures by a Hamline opponent this season.
Mandy Dierks was lethal at the service line with four aces. Jenna Rubbelke chipped in three services aces along with 13 digs and three assists.
The offense was led by Elizabeth Lopata's 12 kills, followed by 11 from Faith Johnson. Lindsay Eckelman turned in nine kills, and two blocks. Kaitlyn Kotek registered 34 assists.
Lawrence finished with a .049 hitting percentage, the second lowest achieved by an opponent this season.
Central 3, Hamline 2 (25-17, 14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12)
Jenna Rubbelke's 48 digs is a Hamline single-match school record, two more than previous record holder Heidi Larson's 46 on September 25, 2010. This engineered a Pipers squad that achieved a season-high 105 digs. The Hamline offense came through with a season-high 58 kills, 201 total attacks, and 54 assists.
Mandy Dierks prevailed at the service line with seven aces, one shy of tying the single-match school record. She engineered a squad that accumulated 13 service aces. Rubbelke, Lauren Wilborn, and Kaitlyn Kotek each had a pair of aces.
It was another night at the office for Elizabeth Lopata, who registered a season-high 17 kills and 17 digs. Lindsay Eckelman came through with 10 kills and two blocks. Kaitlyn Kotek ran the Pipers offense with a season-high 52 assists.
Hamline finished with a .169 hitting percentage against Central's .239 mark. Leslie Snow paced the Dutch with a team-leading 16 kills along with 21 digs.
The Pipers will host Saint Benedict at Hutton Arena on Friday, October 20 at 7 p.m.
