Northfield, Minn. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team did what has become its new normal tonight (Oct. 19), earning a 3-0 sweep, this time over host Carleton.
The Blazers (23-4, 7-1 MIAC) won by scores of 25-15, 25-16 and 25-22, and locked up a MIAC Tournament berth on the process. With just one conference loss, and only three games to go, the Blazers can finish no worse than 7-4 in MIAC action and fall no farther than sixth place.
A match-up of two of the top teams in the region as the NCAA Regional rankings were released just yesterday, the Blazers add another quality win to their resume.
Carleton (16-7, 5-3 MIAC) sees their four-match MIAC winning streak snapped with the loss, and struggled all night finishing with an attack percentage under .100.
The match was played closer than the stats indicate, though, as there with eight total lead changes on the night, with the score tied another 18 times. The Blazers didn't pull away for good in the first set until a three-point streak turned a 9-9 tie into a 12-9 lead. Then late in the match, the Blazers ran off five straight – thanks in most part to Knight errors – to seal the 25-15 win.
The Blazers never trailed in the second set, but didn't put the match away until late either. Carleton hung around, and even had 5-0 run of their own, to turn a 10-point deficit into a five point margin midway through. However, the Blazers answered by taking six of the next seven points to take a 23-13 lead on their way to the win.
Then in the third they played their closest match of the night, with each side putting together long scoring rallies to take control of the match. First it was Carleton scoring 10-of-12 to turn a 9-5 deficit into a 14-11 advantage, and lead for the first time since the first set. The Blazers answered however by ripping off four straight not long after to take an 18-17 lead, only to see the Knights respond to lead 22-21 with just a few points to go.
CSB settled down, and took the final four points of the match for the 25-22 win.
Lexi Alm and Alexa Rinde led the attack with 12 and 10 kills respectively, while five different players finished with at least six on the night. Rinde finished hitting .409, and has now topped the .400 mark at the net 10 times on the season.
Victoria Nass picked up 13 more digs, while Alm added 10 for yet another double-double, here 17th of the year and sixth straight.
Taya Kockelman added 39 assists, and led the offense to a .267 mark on the attack, with at least 14 kills in each set.
Kockelman has now went over the 1,000 assist mark on the season, with 1,010 after the match. She is the only setter in the MIAC that is over 1,000 on the year, and also the only one to average more than 11 assists per set at 11.10.
The Blazers are back in action tomorrow (Oct. 20) at Gustavus, looking to keep pace in the race for the MIAC Championship.
