Ryan Ladika/MDN Setter Eden Olson of Our Redeemer’s Christian School keeps her eye on the ball during play in Friday’s District 12 semifinals at the Minot Auditorium. She became the first player in program history to record 4,000 career assists.

“She’s a very natural athlete with a great IQ and court awareness.”

Those were some of the words Our Redeemer’s Christian School head volleyball coach Kara Nunziato used to describe senior setter Eden Olson, a standout on the Knights varsity squad.

This past Friday, Olson, who already owns the school record for most assists, became the first player in program history to eclipse 4,000 career assists. As Nunziato states, this statistical milestone was years in the making for Olson.

“She has been a starter for us since her eighth-grade year and has been a good contributor and a great teammate during her time with us,” Nunziato tells The Minot Daily News. “Eden also leads the way in other statistical categories besides assists, so she is a very versatile player.”

As it turned out, Olson reached the 4,000-assist mark during the Knights district semifinal victory against Lewis and Clark-Berthold, which punched a ticket to Monday’s district title game. Olson revealed later that she was not aware of the statistical achievement heading into the tournament game.

“I had an idea that I was pretty close to 4,000, but I didn’t know I could actually reach it during Friday’s game,” Olson says. “It was an awesome experience and I’m glad I was able to share it with my teammates.”

Also an accomplished tennis player for Minot High, Olson along with Sofia Egge won the NDHSAA Class A State Doubles Championship this past spring for the Magi. In the process, Olson and Egge became the first Minot High doubles team to win the state title since 1985. When asked to compare both achievements, Olson says that her success in both sports are unique experiences in their own way.

“It’s hard to compare the 4,000 assists with winning the state doubles tournament in tennis. They are very different situations, but I am proud to say that I have achieved both in my high school career,” the senior adds.

Meanwhile, Our Redeemer’s plans to play its next game against Des Lacs-Burlington on Monday night for the District 12 championship at the Minot Auditorium. With the milestone of 4,000 assists now in the rear-view mirror, Olson says she is focused on helping her team prevail in the next ballgame.

“Right now, we are just taking it one game at a time. We want to focus on what we need to do on our side of the net and not take anything for granted because all the teams in the district tournament are very good, so it will be a very competitive match on Monday,” Olson continues.