ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Megan Pekarek is just 12 matches in to her College of Saint Benedict volleyball career, but a look at her stats wouldn’t show that.
Pekarek, a sophomore from Plymouth, Minn., transferred to CSB from UW-Parkside – an NCAA Division II school – prior to the sophomore season. The 5-foot-11 setter took over the starting setter role for three-time All-American Taya Kockelman, and she has made an immediate impact.
This past week alone, Pekarek recorded 164 assists and 40 digs to help CSB finish the week 4-0, including a 3-0 performance at the Wartburg Tournament. For her big week, Pekarek has been named the CSB Athlete of the Week.
Pekarek started the week with 36 assists, seven digs, six kills and three total blocks to help the Blazers beat St. Thomas for the first time since 2009. She added 41 assists, eight digs, five kills and four blocks in a 3-1 win over Coe College to start the Wartburg Tournament Friday. That victory avenged one of the Blazers’ losses from earlier in the season as the Kohawks beat CSB 3-2 at the Northwestern Tournament.
Pekarek put together the best performance of her Blazer career Saturday morning in a 3-1 win over Buena Vista. She recorded 48 assists – a career high with CSB – along with 18 digs for a double-double. She wrapped up the weekend with 39 assists, seven digs and five kills in a 3-1 win over Wartburg.
For her play over the weekend, which included 128 assists, 33 digs, 11 kills and six blocks, Pekarek was named to the Wartburg Tournament All-Tournament Team. After her week, Pekarek moved up to second in the MIAC with 426 total assists and third in the league with 9.06 assists per set.
Pekarek’s big week came at a good time for the Blazers as three of the four teams CSB played were mentioned in the AVCA poll. St. Thomas, Coe and Wartburg are all receiving votes in Division III. Saint Benedict is now 8-4 overall and is on a six-match winning streak.
CSB, which hasn’t played at home since Sept. 8, is on the road for one more match Wednesday, Sept. 23, when it returns to St. Paul to take on Macalester at 7:30 p.m.
