SANTA CRUZ, CALIF.—The Hamline University women's volleyball team opened their 2023 campaign with a neutral-site bout against Whitman on day one of the UC Santa Cruz Tournament in Santa Cruz, California on Friday evening. Kaitlyn Kotek's career-high 41 assists highlighted the Pipers, who came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Blues 3-1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19).

Hamline moves to 1-0, while Whitman falls to 0-2.

Hamline 3, Whitman 1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19)

The Blues finished the match with a .230 hitting percentage against the Pipers' .212 mark. The opening set played a significant role in that, as Whitman committed zero attack errors, tallied 15 kills and a .500 hitting percentage en route to a 25-16 victory in the frame.

Hamline weathered the storm over the final three sets, where they accumulated a .218 hitting mark and held Whitman to a .161 figure that helped them secure 25-23, 25-22, and 25-19 victories en route to a 3-1 decision. The fourth set resulted in 17 kills for the Pipers, six of which came from Lindsay Eckelman.

Kotek also contributed three services aces to her stat line. Faith Johnson notched a team-leading 11 kills for the Pipers, followed by 10 from Kennedy Tutak, and nine from Eckelman. Hamline got digs from 10 different individuals, led by Jenna Rubbelke's 30.

Nicole Kelly was lethal for the Blues with a team-leading 22 kills, 15 digs, and five aces. Teia Magaoay posted 42 assists for Whitman.

The Pipers will return to action on day two of the UC Santa Cruz Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, September 2 against George Fox at 10 a.m. (PT), and Willamette at 1 p.m. (PT).