St. Paul, Minn. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team ran into a streaking St. Thomas team today (Sept. 22), and learned they're worth every bit of their No. 7 ranking as the Tommies walked away with a 3-0 sweep.
The loss ends the Blazers (12-4, 2-1 MIAC) season-long six-match winning streak, and give them their first loss in MIAC play. The Tommies (14-1, 3-0 MIAC), meanwhile, win for the ninth straight time, and remain unbeaten in conference action.
St. Thomas set the tone for the day with a convincing 25-8 victory in the first set, hitting a near-perfect .778 to get there. On just 18 attempts, they pounded down 15 kills, while making just one error. For the match, they made just five total errors in the three sets, and finished with a .506 attack percentage, easily the best for a Blazer opponent this season.
The Tommies closed the set with 11 straight points, after a kill from the Blazers'
Chelsea Rachel made it 14-8. Eight of the Tommies final nine points came by kill.
St. Thomas started off in the second where they finished the first, sprinting out to a 7-1. The Tommies got out in front 16-7 before the Blazers rattled off six straight, capped by three straight kills from
Lexi Alm. It wasn't enough however, as the Tommies went on to take the set 25-20.
In the third, looking to stave off elimination, the Blazers strung three points together to take their first lead of the match at 17-16, but the Tommies countered with five of the next six points to go back up 21-18 on their way to the 25-22 win.
For the first time all season, no Blazer finished with double-digit kills, as Alm's eight led the way. The Blazers finished with a .202 attack percentage on the night, paced by their .303 mark in the second set.
MIAC digs leader
Victoria Nass saw her streak of double-digit matches come to a close, as she finished with nine for the first time this season.
Fortunately, Saint Benedict won't have to wait long to put the loss behind them, as they return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 25, hosting UW-Superior in nonconference action in Clair Lynch Hall at 7 p.m. Then to close the week, they get to stay at home, celebrating homecoming weekend. At 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 they host Saint Mary's, and at 3 p.m. on Sept. 29 they host St. Olaf.
