Knights win third straight, sweeping Hamline

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Comfy, yet?

The Martin Luther Knights are getting there.

Working together on defense translated into a nearly dominating offense and MLC cruised past the Hamline Pipers 30-12, 30-22, 30-14 Monday night in nonconference volleyball.

The Knights, who just a few weeks ago were assembled from several returning players and a large group of newcomers, showed the coalescing process is well under way.

"I think we are feeling more comfortable with each other," MLC coach Drew Buck said. "We're starting to communicate and we're getting to know each other."

That was one of the concerns Buck and the Knights had coming into the 2001 season. With only five players returning, only one a starter, a lot of new faces were going to be significant contributors to the success or failure of the season.

Only three matches into the season may be too early to make a full report on the effectiveness of integrating the returning players and the new players, but all indications are the incoming players and the veterans are a team. The win against Hamline was the third in a row to start the season for the Knights.

"We're playing better, we're getting better every day," said MLC senior middle hitter Rachel Kramer, who had a match-high 12 kills and also recorded three blocks. "We're going to get better, and tonight was good because everyone got some experience."

Experience was something MLC (3-0) was painfully short of when the season started. Kramer was the lone returning starter; Annie Uecker, who led the Knights with 21 set assists against Hamline, became the No. 1 setter after redshirting last season.

Juniors Missy Hahnke and Becky Pate returned but without benefit of extensive playing time. And they all had to gel with the many new faces.

It all starts with defense in volleyball, and the Knights used it to silence the Pipers.

"We're starting to get used to each other," MLC freshman Bethany Bauer said. "We've been playing together in pretty much the same lineup the past two matches now and we're starting to gel together."

Bauer and Pate each had four digs for the Knights. Hahnke led the Knights with eight digs and also contributed eight kills.

MLC actually started slowly. Though they never trailed by more than three points, the Knights didn't lead the first game until Hahnke's ace serve to the backline gave MLC an 8-7 margin it would not relinquish.

The Knights ran their lead to 15-8 on the serve of Bauer, taking advantage of two of Hamline's numerous passing errors on the night. Kramer all but finished the game, the match really, with a kill through the block of Kristi Weeks to put the Knights up 16-9 and steal serve away from the Pipers.

The Pipers didn't have consecutive serves the remainder of the game.

The Pipers had thoughts of making it a match in the second game, but faltered after the Knights got out to a 15-11 advantage with five straight points on the serve of Uecker. MLC then slowly pulled away from Hamline and closed out the game with four straight points, including a Tiffany Wendt block of Jessica Rice to set up game point.

MLC opened the third game with a quick 4-0 lead and was never headed. Ten consecutive points on the serve of sophomore Jenni Goodger took the Knights from 16-12 to 26-12.

Pate got two kills in the run, but eight errors committed by the Pipers were the final nails in the coffin.

Hamline never got untracked in its transition game enough to mount much of an offense. Passing errors plagued the Pipers; sophomore hitter Laura Fleischman led Hamline with just five kills.

"Even when you're playing against a team that's having trouble (offensively)," Buck said, "there are things that I'm going to be looking for -- whether we're in the proper position, our transition ... we can still look and see if we're doing these things properly."

Maybe not perfectly, yet, but it's only been three matches. The Knights are still getting comfortable.

"We're still improving every game," Bauer said. "We still have the potential to get better."