Box Score | Preview |	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
#19 Saint Benedict (7-0)	25	25	25	3
Whitworth (2-4)	17	17	23	0

Spokane, Wash. - The Saint Benedict volleyball team started the first day of the Whit Classic Tournament with the dominance they needed today (Sept. 6), winning both of its matches by sweep.

The Blazers started with a quick three sets against St. Scholastica, for their sixth win on the year. They took the first set 25-12, and continued with a 25-18 win in the second. St. Scholastica fought back hard in the third, but it wasn't enough as the Blazers took the set and match by a score of 25-20. The Blazers then faced off against the Whitworth Pirates and won the first two sets both by a score of 25-17. The Pirates then gave the Blazers their closest set of the day but still fell by a score of 25-23.

The Blazers started the tournament strong and finished their first match with a team hitting percentage of .282, while keeping the Saints down to just .130, their lowest total of the season. Lexi Rinde led the team with 12 kills, while Lexi Alm added 10 more. Rinde also finished the game with a .500 hitting percentage. MIAC assists leader Taya Kockelman also racked up 37 set assists.

In the first set, the Blazers jumped ahead to an 11-2 start and extended the lead throughout the game to take the 25-12 win.

Next, the Blazers jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but the Saints fought back to take a 9-7 lead. The Blazers came back not long after and continued to gradually extend their lead to 25-18. In the third set, the Blazers were tied early in the game at 4-4 before going on a 9-to-1 run to take a 13-5 lead. The Saints eventually fought back but came up unsuccessful as the Blazers walked away with the 25-20 win.

To cap the day, the Blazers went on to take tournament host Whitworth in three sets. They played a very strong defensive game as they held the Pirates to a team hitting percentage of just .089, the third time a Blazer opponent has been under .100 this season. Rinde and Alm once again led the Blazers in hitting with 10 kills each, with Rinde finishing with a hitting percentage of .364. Kockelman also added another 30 set assists, her fifth time over the 30-mark this season.

The Blazers started out the first set tied at 3-3 and then took an 8-3 run to go up 11-6. They kept a solid lead for the rest of the set before breaking farther away and grabbing the 25-17 win. In the second set, the Blazers jumped ahead to a 9-2 lead and never let up, taking the 25-17 win again.

In the final set of the night, the Pirates held a 12-10 lead halfway through the game, before the Blazers closed the gap to make it a 15-15 tie. The Blazers then went on a 5-0 run to take the 20-15 lead, before the Pirates came back to tie the match at 23-all. Fittingly in was Alm and Rinde  back-to-back with their 10th kills respectively to give the Blazers the 25-23 win.

Now at 7-0, the Blazers are one win away from tying the 2004 season's 8-0 mark to start the year. They have won all 21 sets they've played, and stand as the only unbeaten team in the MIAC.

The Blazers go on to finish the tournament tomorrow in Spokane, Wash. starting at 2 p.m.