By Teddy Menor

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team is currently sitting at No. 22 in the national rankings with an overall record of 13-7. After a 3-0 win over Bethel on Wednesday, the Blazers put an end to a two game losing streak just in time for the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invite. They will begin this tournament Friday, Oct. 17, in Eau Claire against Northwestern at 3 p.m. They will follow this with another game against Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 5:15 p.m. 
 
About the Eagles: The Eagles head into this matchup with a three-game winning streak and a 5-1 record on the road. They are also still undefeated in conference play with a record of 9-0 and sit at 16-7 on the season. Lindsey Peterson leads the team with 248 kills and Lizzy Potratz has a team high of 385 digs. Northwestern beat CSB 3-2 at the Labor Day Tournament in August.
 
About the Titans: The Titans come to this matchup with the best overall record in the tournament and are receiving votes in Division III. At 20-3, they have only one loss on the road. They are also 20-1 against nonconference teams and are currently on a two-game winning streak. The Titans have built up a lot of momentum throughout the season and are certainly one of the best teams in the tournament.
 
The Storyline: The Blazers have stopped their losing streak and managed to regain some momentum as they head into their first day of the tournament. Wins against two good teams tonight will help put them o course to finish the end of the season on the right note. After the tournament, the Blazers have only four remaining games this season and they are all conference matchups.
 
Who to Watch: Laura Schmitt leads the Blazers with 215 kills this season with Lexi Rinde adding another 172. Taya Kockelman leads the MIAC with a hitting percentage of .379 and sits at No. 1 in the conference and No. 7 in the nation with 10.97 assists per set. Also, she is third in the MIAC with 0.51 service aces per set. Victoria Nass leads the defense with 365 digs this season and Mary Franz has a total of 54 blocks.
 
Last Time Out: In their last time out, the Blazers took a 3-0 sweep win over Bethel. They started the night out with a 25-20 win in the first set and followed that with 25-21 and 25-23 wins in the final sets of the night. Rinde, Laura Schmitt and Melissa Koop all finished with 10 kills in this game and Victoria Nass led the defense with 15 digs.