Piper volleyball battles past Gustavus in five

The defense-filled match ended with 122 digs on Gustavus’ side of the net and 137 from the Pipers. Junior Emily Klein (Red Wing, Minn.) led Gustavus with 40 digs, while her teammate Bridget Burtzel (junior, Cold Spring, Minn.) had 22. Hamline’s defense was led by first-year Heidi Larsen’s (Andover, Minn.) 34 digs, sophomore Tasha Simmons’ 29 digs and the 25 contributed by first-year Molly Schroeder (Buffalo, Minn.).

The Gusties warmed up quickly in the first game, taking and maintaining the lead for nearly the entire game until they had several game points at 29-26. The Pipers then battled back, tying the game at 29-29 before ultimately dropping it 33-31.

That game set the battle tone for the rest of the match, as the host Pipers and the Gusties traded games back and forth to get to the deciding game five in which Hamline came out energized. The Pipers took eight of the first 11 points to hold an 8-3 lead when the teams changed ends of the court. They were slowed slightly when Gustavus rallied to within one point at 13-12, but won the match on senior Shelby Hyllengren’s (Cannon Falls, Minn.) 18th kill of the match followed by an attacking error by Gustavus on match point.

Sophomore Tasha Simmons (Eagan, Minn.) led the Pipers with 25 kills, while junior Amanda Booth (Champlin, Minn.) contributed 19. Senior Jennifer Thelemann (LeSueur, Minn.) led Gustavus with 19 kills.

Hamline University belongs to the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Hamline supports 19 intercollegiate athletic teams for men and women. Find out more about Hamline athletics at www.hamline.edu/hamline_info/athletics.

Creative and innovative teaching and learning attract a diverse student body of nearly 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students to Hamline University. Challenged to create and apply knowledge in local and global contexts, Hamline students develop an individual and community ethic of social justice, civic responsibility, and inclusive leadership and service.

Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive master’s universities by U.S.News & World Report, Hamline is also Minnesota’s first university, founded in 1854, and among the first co-educational institutions in the nation.