| CSB 3, UW-S 0 | CSB 3, MLC 1 |

Eau Claire, Wis. – Led by an offense that hit better than .300  in each match, the Saint Benedict volleyball team opened the 2012 season with a pair of impressive victories tonight (Aug. 31), first with a 3-0 win over UW-Stout, before closing the night with a 3-1 win over Martin Luther.

Lexi Alm led the way with 27 kills on the night, posting a team high 18 in their second match, while hitting .385. Alexa Rinde added 25 kills on the night as the pair paced the Blazers to a .344 hitting mark in the first match and a .312 tally in the second.

The Blazers came out of the gate on fire, taking the first set from UW-Stout 25-11, before taking a commanding 2-0 lead with a 25-12 second set. The third set was close, as the Blue Devils pushed the Blazers past the 25-point mark, but CSB regrouped to complete the sweep and take the set 27-25.

The Blazers' second match started with more of the same, winning 25-11. In the second set, the Knights gave CSB their first set-loss of the season, with a 25-23 setback, but Saint Benedict quickly stopped the bleeding and regained control with a 25-12 win in the third set. In the fourth set, the Blazers finished off the match with a 25-20 win.

Including Alm and Rinde, the Blazers finished with five players in the front row with 10 or more kills. Setting them up all night was Taya Kockelman who rolled to 84 assists on the night, including 50 in the second match, the best match of her career, bettering he mark of 37

The Blazer defense held UW-Stout to a mere .103 hitting percentage in the first match, before holding Martin  Luther to a .182 tally in the second. The Knights finished with just one player in double-digit kills, while the Blue Devils top performer had just seven.

Saint Benedict returns to action tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. against UW-Stevens Point, and closes the weekend with tournament host UW-Eau Claire at 2:30 p.m.