Krause named as an Oles’ captain

This week I spoke with Mehsa Krause, an Owatonna grad who was such a pleasure to watch compete in her Huskies’ volleyball days with her high-flying, energetic attitude she brought to each match.

Since graduating in 2024, Krause has moved on to play for St. Olaf College and is now in her third year with the program.

We started by talking about her high school career, where she was a volleyball captain senior year for the Huskies, but I was anxious to talk with her about the college game transition.

She started immediately her freshman year with the Oles, but at front right only.

I asked her about goals heading into that first campaign and she had told me she wanted to see how fellow college players played.

She said that she would study to get better and “always ask questions with no fear,” only wanting to learn and get better.

The transition came with a small surprise – the height of the players in her league.

As a Huskies player, she was often taller than some of the Big Nine Conference competitors, but in college, she faced many players who are her height or taller, making the game much different.

We talked about St. Olaf’s rivals in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and two school that came to mind were Gustavus Adolphus College and the College of St. Benedict.

A favorite memory of hers was beating the Gusties in five sets during the 2025 season, which marked the first loss for Gustavus to St. Olaf in a long time.

St. Olaf was a No. 1 seed that year in playoff competition but lost to St. Benedict in an upset.

Another memory from her second year was upsetting Division III No. 1-rannked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in a three-game sweep.

According to her, beating the nationally ranked No. 1 team was already a big win, but doing it in three sets made it even more special.

After spending her first season practicing and studying hard to earn more time on the court, Krause became a six-position by her sophomore year.

Her second season went so well that she was an MIAC honoree along with three other teammates.

The beginning of a new season sees the team move in two week before schools starts to practice twice a day for two hours each in each session.

Weightlifting is also three days a week, but each day works on a different part of the body.

Krause said she has classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with no classes Tuesday or Thursday.

Games are typically on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, so Mondays and Wednesdays are very busy.

Krause’s infectious personality has taken her game another step further as she was named team captain for the upcoming season.

She is the only junior along with three seniors to be named as a captain.

According to her, earning the right to hold the title, is no easy task.

“The coaches hold a team meeting and ask if anyone is interested in being a captain. We have to write a speech and give it to the team as part of the process,” she said.

She was sitting in an anatomy class when she got a text from her coach to come see him when the lecture ended.

“I was so nervous, wondering like, ‘Did I do something wrong? Why does coach want to see me?” she said.

She said class was long, but when it finally ended, she went to the coach’s office where he told her she would be a captain for the 2026 season.

Krause’s goals for her junior season are simple: be the best teammate she can be.

“I want to be a steady presence, continue getting better at all six positions and be a role model on the court,” she said.