St. Paul, Minn. - The Saint Benedict volleyball team won for the eighth straight time tonight (Oct. 23), taking a 3-1 win on the road over Hamline.
 
The Blazers improve to 22-2 on the year, and lock up a spot in the MIAC Tournament with their 7-2 conference record. The Pipers meanwhile, fall to 15-12 on the year, and remain on the bubble for the postseason, now with a 4-5 mark in league play.
 
The Blazers opened with a 25-13 win in the first, before the Pipers evened things up with a 25-21 win in the second. From there, CSB took the third 25-17 to go back on top, and then won a marathon fourth 29-27 for the match win.
 
After tying the match at a set apiece, the Pipers ran out to a 7-6 lead in the third. Despite an ensuing four-point run from the Blazers, Hamline was able to keep the set close, and wouldn't let the Blazers make long scoring rallies. Finally late, the Blazers took four the last five points – including two of from Lexi Rinde's (Minnetonka, Minn.) career high tying 19 kills on the night – as they took the 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The Pipers wouldn't go quietly in the fourth either, forcing six lead changes and 13 tie scores in long final set. Late in the set, the Blazers broke a 16-16 tie on a block assist from Mary Franz (Broomfield, Colo.) and Rinde, but the Pipers responded with three straight points to go back ahead.
 
Franz would go on to finish with a career high eight block assists on the night.
 
Then, with the Blazers looking to close out the match, after anther Rinde kill made it 24-23 CSB, Hamline scored twice to put the ball in their court up 25-24. Scores would alternate for the next five points, until back-to-back Hamline errors were the difference as CSB went home the 29-27 set winner and 3-1 match winner.
 
Rinde led four Blazers with double-digit kills, as Lexi Alm (Forest Lake, Minn.) added 13 - and a career high 29 digs for her 11^th double-double – with Sophie Stangl (Buffalo, Minn.) adding 12 kills and Franz finishing with 10.
 
Alm also led three players above the 20-dig mark, as they racked up a season high 99 on the night, with Victoria Nass (Faribault, Minn.) adding a season high 25 and Chelsea Rachel notching 21.
 
The Blazers will return to Claire Lynch Hall for their final regular season home game on Saturday, hosting league leading Concordia on Senior Night.