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St. Joseph, Minn. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team opens the season at home for the first time since 2010 hosting the CSB Labor Day Tournament on Aug. 30 and 31.

The Blazers will be hosting six teams over the weekend, and will be part of an impressive field collected in Claire Lynch Hall to kick off the year.

Ranked No. 19 in the AVCA preseason poll, the Blazers are joined by UW-Stevens Point who also opens the season ranked, landing at No. 25. Conveniently enough, the two teams meet on the first day, squaring off at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 in an early match-up that could become a key victory later in the season.

Northwestern, and UW-Eau Clare are also just outside the top-25, receiving votes in the preseason poll, making over half the tournament field represented in the first rankings of the year.

All four teams were also in the NCAA Tournament last season, with UW-Eau Claire and Northwestern advancing to the second round, while the Blazers capped their season in the Regional Final.

Northwestern opens the year as the defending Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season and tournament champion while winning 27 matches last season.

In the WIAC, UW-Stevens Point bettered UW-Eau Claire for the regular season title, while the Blugolds beat the Pointers in the playoffs for the WIAC Tournament championship.

Also in the field are MIAC rivals Bethel and Concordia, two teams who missed the NCAA Tournament last season, but were in the field as recently as 2011. Two seasons ago, the Cobbers hosted the NCAA Regional, advancing to the Regional Final after sharing the 2011 MIAC title.

In all, six of the seven teams were in their conference tournaments a year ago, with four playing in the championship game. There will be two defending conference champions, with two more coming after runner-up tallies. Five of the seven teams won at least 19 matches last season.

Aug. 30, Friday
1 p.m.: UW-Eau Claire vs. Northland, Court 1
1 p.m.: UW-Stevens Point vs. Bethel, Court 2
3 p.m.: Concordia vs. UW-Eau Claire, Court 1
3 p.m.: Northland vs. Bethel, Court 2
5 p.m.: Northwestern vs. Concordia, Court 1
5 p.m.: Saint Benedict vs. UW-Stevens Point, Court 2
7 p.m.  Saint Benedict vs. Northwestern, Court 2
 
Aug. 31, Saturday
9 a.m.: UW-Stevens Point vs. Concordia, Court 1
9 a.m.: UW-Eau Claire vs. Bethel, Court 2
11 a.m.: Concordia vs. Northland, Court 1
11 a.m.: Northwestern vs. UW-Stevens Point, Court 2
1 p.m.: Northwestern vs. Bethel, Court 1
1 p.m.: Saint Benedict vs. UW-Eau Claire, Court 2
3 p.m.: Saint Benedict vs. Northland, Court 2