Minneapolis – The Saint Benedict volleyball team again opened with a win at the Augsburg Invite, and again held a lead in their second match of the day (Sept. 8). Unfortunately, for the second straight day, they come away with the split, beating Coe 3-1 and falling 3-2 to UW-Stevens Point.
The Blazers took the win from the Kohawks in four sets, dropping only the third set before winning 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19. Then against the Pointers, CSB recovered from a first set loss to lead 2-1 heading to the fourth, but lost the last two for the 27-29, 25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 11-15 setback.
With 15 kills in the first match,
Sophie Stangl set a career high, finishing with 25 on the day. She also led the team with a .324 attack percentage, but overall the Blazers hit just .160 against Coe, topping out at .281 in the clinching fourth set. They earned the win in huge part to their defense which charted 115 digs and forced the Kohawks into 25 attack errors in the match.
Ten block solos – led by three from Stangl – and six block assists, were also a major factor in the Blazers sixth win of the season.
Against UW-Stevens Point, the Blazers were on the wrong end of a 29-27 opening set, but came back to win the next two and take control of the match heading into the fourth. A .027 attack percentage did them no favors, with seven errors and just eight kills. Then in the fifth, errors plagued them again, as the Pointers sealed the win.
Lexi Alm led the way with 15 kills, adding 20 digs for the third straight match while charting her third consecutive double-double. Stangl added 10 kills to hit double-digits in the consecutive matches for the first time, while Alexa Rinde's 12 leaves her just one kill shy of 100 on the season.
In the back row,
Victoria Nass topped the 30-dig mark for the first time, tallying a career high 36 against UW-Stevens Point. The MIAC leader in the category, Nass already has 211 on the season.
The Blazers return home this weekend to open conference play, hosting Augsburg at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 in Claire Lynch Hall. With CSB at 6-3 on the year, the Auggies will counter with their 7-2 mark, riding a four-match winning streak.
