St. Joseph, Minn. – The No. 10 Saint Benedict volleyball team was firing on all cylinders today (Sept. 21) as they took a 3-0 win over visiting St. Catherine in MIAC action.
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The Blazers (12-1, 1-1 MIAC) earned their first conference win of the season, rebounding from their loss earlier the week in the league opener, taking set wins of 25-7, 25-14 and 25-16. They hit a combined .356 on the day, which included a Blazing .414 in the second set.
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The visiting Wildcats (6-10, 0-2 MIAC) drop their third straight, and struggled all day, hitting just -.012 for the match, finishing with more errors (18) than kills (17).
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Lexi Rinde (Minnetonka, Minn.) led the way, charting 11 kills to finish as the only player in double figures, while hitting .529. It was her third straight match with at least 10 kills, her second straight with better than a .500 attack percentage. The Blazers had 41 kills as a team, topping the 40-mark for the 11th time this season.
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Victoria Nass (Faribault, Minn.) led the way on defense with 15 digs, and
Taya Kockelman (Minneota, Minn.) was her usual steady self, finishing with 36 assists.
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On the serve, the Blazers had eight aces – the seventh time with at least eight – with three players logging more than one.
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In the first and third sets, the Blazers had major scoring runs while on the serve, including an 18-to-2 stretch to close out their win in the first.
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The Blazers will be back in action for two matches on the road next week, as they head to Carleton on Sept. 25 and Saint Mary's on Sept. 27. They'll they return home for what could be a huge match on Oct. 2, hosting No. 3 St. Thomas in a Wednesday evening affair.
