Pipers played well enough to win a set against the nationally ranked Augsburg Auggies last Saturday, Sept. 28, which is the first time this season the Auggies have lost a set to a conference rival. Unfortunately for the Pipers, they lost the game 3-1, which brought their record down to 9-7 and 2-2 in conference play.

Following the game, head coach of the Pipers Becky Egan was complimented by the Augsburg coaching staff on the Pipers play and their ability to remain disciplined.

“That’s something, again, that we have been pushing for our girls to do,” Egan said. “Getting a compliment, taking a [set], that’s their first conference set that someone took from them. And that’s by us, little old Hamline, it was fun to be that person.”

Earlier this season, Egan said the volleyball team this season looked promising.

“We are a very strong team; we just have to stay consistent,” she said.

Last Saturday, the Pipers faced their biggest challenge of the season thus far. The Pipers were not only facing the 21^st ranked team in Division-III. They were also on the road playing in front of a ruckus crowd at Augsburg, who had their homecoming that night.

The Pipers came out strong in the first set; midway through it was knotted at 14. The Auggies then went on a 5-0 run and ran with that momentum to close out the set 25-17. The Pipers rebounded in the next set and took control early on. After a kill by junior captain Paige Walters, the Pipers won set two, 25-21; that tied the game at one.

The third set played out similar to the first. The Pipers took an early lead, and then the Auggies caught up and went on a 6-0 scoring run. The Pipers then trailed 17-11. This time around the Pipers pushed and brought the set within two, 21-19. Unfortunately for the Pipers, the Auggies regained momentum and won the set 25-21; they were up in the game 2-1.

The Auggies had the momentum and the crowd behind them in the arena, all of which led them to win the fourth set 25-15 and the game 3-1.

Egan noticed the crowd’s liveliness in Augsburg’s homecoming and is looking forward to the Pipers next match Wednesday night, Oct. 2, at Hutton Arena when they will play during Hamline’s homecoming week.

“Anytime you play in that type of atmosphere it usually ups your game a little bit more,” Egan said. “It’s going to be fun, the buzz on campus. I think people are going to be excited for it; I know our girls are going to be excited for it.”

After Wednesday’s conference game against the Macalester Scots, the Pipers will head to Colorado Springs that weekend for their Colorado College Classic tournament.

Egan said her approach to that tournament is getting the team to execute and come up with a winning formula for their conference games at the final stretch of the season.

“We have improved a ton [this season],” Egan said. “We need to go in there and take care of business, try to establish all of the things that we need for our conference tournament.”