EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team started the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Tournament Friday, Oct. 17, with a 3-1 win over Northwestern. They followed with a close 3-2 loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh. After these games, the Blazers sit with a record of 14-8 as they head into the second day of the tournament. Saturday, CSB faces off against Minnesota-Morris at 10 a.m. and Trinity University (Texas) at 2:30 p.m.
About the Cougars: The Cougars head into this tournament with an overall record of 18-7 and a 9-1 record in conference play. After winning 10 straight games, the Cougars dropped their last three games against Buena Vista University, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Millikin University. The Cougars will be looking to put an end to this losing streak as they start the day with a match against the Blazers.
About the Tigers: The Tigers started their season with a record of 4-4 before winning 15 of their next 16 games. They are currently ranked No. 15 in the country, but lost a close 3-2 match against Eau Claire in their first game of the tournament. The Tigers will be fighting to maintain their rank in the national polls after suffering their first loss in nine games.
The Storyline: The Blazers are 2-2 in their last four games and head into the second day of the tournament with hopes of picking up momentum as they head into their final four games of the season. All four of these games are MIAC matchups and will have a big impact on their postseason start.
Who to Watch:
Laura Schmitt leads the Blazers with 250 kills this season with
Lexi Rinde adding another 203. Kockelman leads the MIAC with a hitting percentage of .382 and sits at No. 1 in the conference with 11.05 assists per set. She is also third in the MIAC with 0.49 service aces per set.
Victoria Nass leads the defense with 412 digs this season and
Mary Franz has a total of 61 blocks.
Last Time Out: In their last match, the Blazers faced off against Wisconsin-Oshkosh and suffered a tough 3-2 loss. They took a close first set by a score of 26-24, but lost the second 23-25. In the third set, the Blazers fell by a score of 22-25 before coming back in the fourth set to take a 28-26 win. In the fifth and final set, UW-Oshkosh pushed through to take the 15-11 win to end the night.
