Arden Hills, Minn. – Dropping the first set for the second straight match, the No. 10 Saint Benedict volleyball team scored its second straight four-set win, beating host Bethel 3-1 tonight (Oct. 9).
 
After going down 1-0, with a 25-22 loss in the first, the Blazers won the next two sets 25-21 and 25-19 respectively to take a 2-1 lead on the Royals (9-13, 2-4 MIAC). In the fourth, though, they found themselves down again, trailing 25-24 and facing a potential fifth set.
 
The Blazers (18-2, 4-2 MIAC) responded with three straight points for the 27-25 come-from-behind win, and have now won four straight.
 
After a kill from Taya Kockelman (Minneota, Minn.) – one of her season high eight on the night – the serve came back to the Blazers with the score tied 25-25. Kelly Davenport (Lakeville, Minn.) was inserted into the line-up to serve, and promptly sent the Blazers on to their next two points.
 
A kill from Lexi Alm (Forest Lake, Minn.) put the Blazers up 26-25, giving them their first lead since a 5-4 edge early in the set. Then Sophie Stangl closed it out with a kill for the set and match win.
 
Of the Blazers' 27 points in the fourth set, 19 came by kill, while making just two errors as they hit .436 in the set.
 
Lexi Rinde (Minnetonka, Minn.) led the way on offense with 19 kills, while Alm (12) and Stangl (10) each also hit double figures as the Blazers posted a season high 65 on the night.
 
Rinde tied a career high, hitting 19 for the second time in the last three matches, while posting her fourth straight match in double-digits, and her ninth in the last 10. Alm, meanwhile, raises her career total to 1,192 and now sits just 41 kills away from sixth place all time at CSB.
 
Kockelman was clinical running the offense, finishing with a career high 54 assists, breaking her previous best of 52 from the regular season finale last season. Her 54 tonight, tied for the second best four-set total in the MIAC this season, and she raises her per set average back over the 12.0 mark.
 
Adding to the season highs on the night, the Blazers racked up 85 digs, topping 80 for the first time. Chelsea Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn.) led the way with 20, hitting the 20-mark for the second straight match.  Alm added a season high 18 – doing so in the second straight match – for her eighth double-double of the season and third straight. Kockelman matched her with 18, also a season high.
 
With 18 wins, fourth-year head coach Nicole Hess has now won at least 18 matches in each season at CSB, and is closing in on 150 wins for her career, sitting with 147.
 
The Blazes now return home for one final nonconference match, hosting Luther (Iowa) at 3 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 12) in Claire Lynch Hall.