SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Day two of the Hamline University women's volleyball team's annual St. Paul Tournament pitted them against St. Norbert and Dubuque on Saturday. The Pipers dominated the Green Knights 25-14 in set one, but couldn't maintain that momentum in a 3-1 (14-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-20) loss. They regained their composure against the Spartans with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-22) sweep, which cemented head coach Kylee Zumach's first career victory.
The Pipers move to 1-3 overall with Saturday's split.
St. Norbert 3, Hamline 1 (14-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-20)
It took the Green Knights a full set before they found rhythm as they hit just .061 in the opening frame. That's not to say Hamline didn't just benefit from St. Norbert's struggles; as they accumulated five aces, 11 kills, and a .280 hitting mark throughout the first set en route to a 25-14 win. Five of those kills came from Riley Melby, who finished the match with a team-leading 14.Â
The Green Knights found their groove throughout the final three sets, where they combined for a .149 hitting percentage against the Pipers' .009 mark en route to 25-16, 25-21, 25-20 wins.
Jenna Rubbelke had a game-high 25 digs to go with two service aces. Cameryn Sand notched a game-high three aces as well as 10 assists. Kaitlyn Kotek led the way with 19 assists for Hamline. Lauren Wilborn was all over the stat sheet with 15 digs, two aces, six kills, and two blocks. Nora Cairns paced Hamline at the net with four total blocks.
Alyssa Mills led St. Norbert with 15 kills and 13 digs.
Hamline 3, Dubuque 0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-22)
The opening two frames combined for just one lead change as Hamline dominated with a .273 hitting percentage against Dubuque's dismal .083 mark. Riley Melby's 12 kills had a lot to do with that, coupled with Lauren Wilborn's four service aces that helped secure 25-21, 25-12 wins.
The Pipers didn't lose their touch in the third set despite five lead changes. Seven individuals contributed kills for Hamline in set three led by five from Grace Tesmer, who kick started a 5-1 Hamline run with a kill that knotted the match at 14-14. Kayli Starkey engineered that run with three kills, which put the Pipers in the driver's seat at 18-15. The Spartans knotted the contest twice more at 19-19 and 21-21, but never led from that point as Hamline secured the 25-22 victory.Â
Wilborn tied for a career-high six service aces to go with nine digs, while Melby registered a team-leading 14 kills for the second-straight match as well as three blocks. Tesmer and Starkey each had nine kills for the Pipers, who tallied a season-high .277 hitting percentage
Jenna Rubbelke had a game-high 20 digs for Hamline
Nine Spartans contributed a kill, but none eclipsed more than five.Â
The Pipers will return to action at the UW-Superior Subway Stinger Tournament on Friday, September 6. They will face Marian at 5 p.m., and Martin Luther at 7 p.m.
ALL-ST. PAUL TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Kristina Manojlovic (Carthage)
- Alyssa Mills (St. Norbert)
- Taylor Bechen (Dubuque)
- Riley Melby (Hamline)
- Paige Stickney (Concordia Wis.)
- Emily Schipper (Augustana Ill.)
- Laura Wellbrock (Minnesota Morris)
- Lexie Petrick (St. Catherine)
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