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Back to the MIAC: Coming off a 3-0 win over Luther to lock down an undefeated nonconference record for this season, the Saint Benedict volleyball team is back at home in Claire Lynch Hall today (Oct. 16) to face off against St. Olaf for their first of five consecutive MIAC matchups before the Conference Tournament. With a 19-2 record and a 4-2 conference mark, the Blazers have a great opportunity to take five more conference wins before ending the regular season. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
About the Oles: The 7-15 Oles have just three conference games left in their regular season and with only one conference win against St. Kate's, they will be looking to finish strong in their remaining MIAC matchups. The Oles started their season with a 4-0 record in the St. Olaf College/Carlton College Invitational. From there, though, they dropped seven consecutive losses and after just two more wins, went on another seven-game losing streak. They come to the Blazer's court after a 3-2 win over Luther followed by a 3-1 loss to Macalester. With six games remaining in the season, will be fighting off finishing the year with their third seven-game losing streak of the season.
The Storyline: Once again, the Blazers are facing a team with recent mutual matchups. The Blazers are coming off a 3-0 sweep over Luther, while the Oles took a 3-2 win over Luther last week. With their only MIAC losses being against St. Thomas and Augsburg, both nationally ranked teams, the No. 8 Blazers will be fighting to extend their five-game winning streak all the way through to the MIAC Tournament, which will be held in just three weeks.
Who to Watch: As
Lexi Alm (Forest Lake, Minn.) continues to climb the ranks of the 1,000 kill club, she also moves into first place in the MIAC in service aces per set with an average of 0.60 per set.
Victoria Nass (Faribault, Minn.) sits in third place in the same category with 0.51 aces per set with
Chelsea Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn.) right behind her in fourth place in the MIAC with .44 aces per set.
Lexi Rinde (Minnetonka, Minn.) sits in fourth place in the conference with 3.67 kills per set and leads the Blazers with 231 kills this season. In the NCAA she ranks 48th in kills per set, while her .357 hitting percentage ranks 34th in the country. For yet another week,
Taya Kockelman (Minneota, Minn.) leads the NCAA and the MIAC in set assists with an average of 11.98 assists per set.
Last Time Out: In their last time out, the Blazers took a 3-0 sweep over Luther for their 16th sweep of the season. Franz led the way with 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .714 and also added five blocks in her breakout game. Stangl also added to the Blazers success in the middle with seven kills and a .462 hitting percentage, while Rinde added another nine kills. Defensively, Nass and Alm put up 11 digs, and Rachel added another nine to help the Blazers finish with 25-16, 25-15 and 25-17 set wins respectively.
