St. Paul, Minn. – In one of the most thrilling matches you'll see, the Saint Benedict volleyball team pushed top-seeded St. Thomas to the brink tonight (Nov. 3), before falling 3-2 in the championship match of the MIAC Tournament.
Entering as the second seed and riding a 15-match winning streak, the No. 23 Blazers (27-5) jumped out ahead after a first set win, and led 2-1 as the two teams headed to the fourth. The Tommies (34-1) proved why they're the No. 7 team in the country, though, and showed why they own a winning streak that now stretches to 29-straight.
St. Thomas evened the score with a 25-19 win in the fourth, the first set of the night decided by more than three points. The Blazers won the first and third by identical 25-23 scores, while St. Thomas won the second 25-22.
Then in the fifth with the momentum on their side, St. Thomas jumped out to an 11-3 lead and never looked back, taking the final set and the match 15-8.
After its disappointing performance in the two team's first meeting, Saint Benedict showed early that there would be no chance of a repeat effort. The Blazers knocked down 13 kills in the opening set, and went on a six-point run to close the match on their way to the win.
Lexi Alm put the Blazers up 1-0 with the winning kill, part of her team-leading 18 on the night.
Their win in the third was even better, as the Blazers finished with 17 kills and never trailed after going ahead 14-13. A block from
Sophie Stangl and
Taya Kockelman put CSB on the edge of the win, up 24-20, but the Tommies made it interesting by taking the next three points. After a well-timed timeout, the Blazers came back to get the winning point.
The match as a whole couldn't have been played any closer if you had tried. The score was tied 22 different times and the lead changed hands another 10. The Blazer's 60 kills were right on pace with the Tommies 65, and each defense had over 100 digs. Even on a point-by-point, play-by-play basis, the competitiveness of the teams was evident. Numerous rallies went back and forth for what much have seemed like a lifetime for the players as each team always had an answer for the other.
St. Thomas earns the MIAC's automatic bid to NCAA Tournament with win. The Blazers now must wait to learn their fate on Monday, Nov. 5 when the NCAA announces the full tournament field at 10 a.m.
Volleyball at St. Thomas (MIAC Champ.) Gallery
