Set 1 – 25-9 | Set 2 – 25- 14 | Set 3 – 25-21

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Yesterday we noted that it had been 105 days since the last Wildcat athletic team competed. For the St. Catherine University volleyball team, that number almost tripled. From the last time the Wildcats played a match until their season opener today, it was a total of 307 days. After what felt like a long summer and preseason, the team opened their season with a 3-0 win over Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opponent the Martin Luther College Knights (0-2, 0-0). 

Second year head coach Todd Nelson discussed in the preseason that this program has added a variety of talented players to add to the mix of returners. In the first set, Nelson started returners Mackenzie Peper, Emma Nelson, Brooke Beuning, Hannah Flatness and new-comers Lauren Isaacson, Erin Cutts and in the libero position Grace Amacher.  Overpowering the youthful Knights in the first set, the Wildcats rallied for a 25-9 set win playing all six rotations in the front row.

The Knights graduated six seniors from their 2017 squad where they finished the season 16-17. All but three players on the team are first-years and includes no seniors. The Knights opened their season this morning in Northfield against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent the St. Olaf Oles, where they went 0-3 in the co-hosted Carleton (MIAC)/ St. Olaf tournament.

Their youth showed again for the Knights in the second set giving the Wildcats an early 13-0 lead with first-year Lauren Isaacson serving. A few ball handling errors for the Wildcats resulted in a score of 15-4 before the Wildcats went on a streak again. The Wildcats saw a change made between the libero position in the second set substituting junior Larissa Kisch with Amacher who looked like a veteran in the first set. Kisch showed her talents helping her team get the second set win of 25-14.

In the third set, Nelson switched the libero position again rotating in first-year Julia Weiler for Kisch. The set started out strong for the Wildcats until they made several errors allowing the Knights to tie at 8-8. After trading points on each side of the net, the Knights eventually were able to get a 2 point lead. Amacher's dominance at the service line gave the Wildcats the lead again at 14-13 but the Knights didn't give up. Both squads went back and fourth until both teams were tied at 18-18. At that point St. Kate's found the momentum with Cutts serving and finished the set with a score of 25-21 for a 3-0 win over the Knights.

The team is back in action next weekend when they travel to Ashland, Wisconsin for four non-conference matches at Northland College. The Wildcats take on Rockford at 11 a.m. and Concordia Chicago at 3 p.m. Friday, September 7. Then Silver Lake at 4 p.m. and Northland at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 8.

The next time the Wildcats are home is Wednesday, September 19 at 7 p.m. when they open their home conference season against Bethel University.