Playoffs. Ask any athlete, and they will understand the excitement, adrenaline and pressure that every playoff game has. The end of the season brings urgency and higher levels of competition, regardless of the sport. As an athlete, playoff games are always exciting to participate in, but as a fan, I absolutely love the energy of crowds in playoff competitions. Each team’s fan section believes that their team can win and never stops supporting the team until the last buzzer. Anything can happen in a playoff game, and, more importantly, any team can win.
The MIAC post-season began last week for two of our Olaf teams. The first playoff match-up of the week was a cross-town rivalry between the St. Olaf and Carleton volleyball teams. St. Olaf swept Carleton on Oct. 27 to tie for third place in the MIAC and secure the fourth seed. The Oles lost the tiebreaker to Concordia in a head-to-head match-up when the Cobbers bested the Oles 3-2 in the regular season. So, on Oct. 30, Carleton made the trek across the river as the visiting team and fifth seed. Unfortunately, the Ole women in spandex lost to Carleton in five sets. Senior Melissa Burch (and Cooking on Campus blogger!) had 21 kills for the Oles, while Katie Wolfram (’14) and Kelly Heissel (’14) had 19 and 10, respectively. Burch was also named to the All-MIAC team after a great senior season.
Ole women’s soccer also had a successful day against Carleton on Oct. 27 with a victory of 2-1. The win allowed the Oles to tie with Augsburg for second place with 20 points, behind Concordia. St. Olaf was able to secure the second seed after the fourth tiebreaker (overall conference record vs. teams .500 and above). The Oles were 3-2-2 and the Auggies were 3-3-1, so St. Olaf was able to clinch the home field advantage. It is the first time that the Oles have made the playoffs since 2004. The regular season meeting between the Oles and Auggies resulted in a scoreless tie on Oct. 9. The Halloween match-up was an exciting one; however, the Oles lost in a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime game. The winning goal came with 4:06 left in the first overtime as Augsburg advanced to the finals of the MIAC playoffs. Christine Barringer (’13) had the Oles’ only goal of the game.
Although both of our teams lost last week on the Hill, it was great to see some of our women’s teams advancing to the playoffs. To all the graduating seniors of the fall sports teams: congratulations on successful careers at St. Olaf, and we will miss you!