ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Catherine University volleyball team earned a straight-set MIAC victory over Hamline University on Friday night inside the Butler Center, defeating the Pipers 25-21, 25-22, 25-23. The Wildcats improved to 3-11 overall and 1-2 in conference play with the win.
St. Kate's finished the night with 38 kills while hitting .248 as a team, limiting Hamline to a .144 attack percentage. The Wildcats also held an 8-3 advantage in service aces and totaled four team blocks.
Maddie Newton turned in an all-around performance to lead the Wildcats, finishing with a team-high 12 kills on a .385 hitting percentage while adding 12 digs and four service aces. Addison Vandereide joined her in double figures with 10 kills while hitting .368. Alivia Hanover added seven kills on just 12 attacks for a .417 hitting percentage and also contributed two block assists.
The Wildcats utilized a balanced setting effort from Jalyn Wolle and Addison Preuss. Wolle handed out a team-high 18 assists while adding an ace and three digs, while Preuss finished with 14 assists. Maneeje Mostaghimi paced St. Kate's with three service aces of her own and collected nine digs.
St. Catherine overcame an early 4-0 deficit in the opening set before pulling even at 6-6 and eventually building a 20-15 advantage. The Wildcats closed out the frame 25-21 behind a balanced offensive attack that produced 15 kills and a .355 hitting percentage.
The second set featured another comeback for St. Kate's. Hamline held an 18-9 advantage before the Wildcats mounted a furious rally. With the Pipers leading 21-16, Mostaghimi helped spark an eight-point St. Kate's run from the service line that included three aces. Hanover, Vandereide and the Wildcat block provided the offense as St. Kate's surged ahead 24-21 before Vandereide put away the final kill for a 25-22 victory.
The third set was the tightest of the match, featuring nine ties and five lead changes. St. Kate's trailed 19-15 before rallying again, eventually tying the score at 20-20 on a Newton kill. The Wildcats then scored four of the next five points, highlighted by two Newton aces, to take a 24-20 advantage. Hamline fought back within one before Hanover delivered the match-clinching kill for the 25-23 win.
St. Catherine finished the third set with five of its eight total service aces and added two blocks to complete the sweep.
St. Kate's will travel to River Falls on Saturday for a 1 pm match against Wisconsin-Platteville followed by a 5 pm match against Wisconsin-River Falls.
