ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team secured a spot in the MIAC postseason tournament thanks to a pair of conference wins over the weekend. Junior outside hitter Laura Schmitt played a large role in those wins for the Blazers.
Schmitt led the team in both kills and digs in wins against St. Olaf and Gustavus Adolphus to help CSB stay in third in the conference. For her performances over the weekend, Schmitt has been named the Blazer Athlete of the Week.
In CSB’s first match of the weekend against St. Olaf, Schmitt, a Chaska, Minn., native, was one of three players who finished the night with eight kills. She also had a team-high 14 digs as the Blazers swept the Oles 3-0.
Saturday, Schmitt recorded her 17
th double-double of the year 16 kills and 16 digs – both team highs. The 3-1 win over the Gusties pushed the Blazers’ record to 18-8 overall and 7-2 in the MIAC. CSB is third behind Augsburg and St. Thomas, which both have 8-1 league marks.
Schmitt leads the team and is third in the conference with 296 total kills this season. She is seventh with 3.18 kills per set, and is also 12
th in the MIAC with 352 total digs and is 15
th in the conference with 3.78 digs per set.
The Blazers finish the regular season with a pair of matches this week. CSB hosts Hamline in its final regular-season match of the year at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29. That match is also senior night for the Blazers’ seven seniors. CSB ends the regular season Saturday, Nov. 1, against Concordia.
The MIAC tournament starts Tuesday, Nov. 4. The top two seeds get a bye and the No. 3 and 4 seeds host the fifth and sixth seeds. The semifinals are Thursday, Nov. 6, and the championship match is Saturday, Nov. 8, at the highest remaining seed.
