By Teddy Menor

Box Score

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The No. 17 Saint Benedict volleyball team suffered a tough 1-3 loss Saturday to the Carlton Knights. This is the first MIAC loss of the season for the Blazers, who are now 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

The Blazers lost the first set by a score of 23-25 and dropped their second set by a score of 20-25. They went on to take a 25-20 win in the third set, but the Knights closed out the match with a 27-25 victory in the fourth and final set.

In the first set, the Blazers got off to a rough start as the Knights held an early 12-5 lead. They kept this lead for a while, until the Blazers slowly began to catch up. After sitting at a score of 16-17, the Blazers kept the match close until the very end when they walked away with their first set loss in conference play by a score of 23-25. Taya Kockelman, Sophie Stangl and Mary Franz each collected three kills in the set and Victoria Nass finished with eight digs.

The next set started much closer and the two teams found themselves tied at 14-14 halfway through the set. From here, the Knights went on a 6-0 run to take the 25-20 win. Lexi Rinde finished this set with six kills and Franz added another three.

In the third set, the Blazers started out with a 6-2 lead. They continued to fight off the Knights' repeated attempts to take the lead and walked away with the 25-20 win. Laura Schmitt and Bailey Rykken led the offense in this set with four kills each and Kockelman added another 14 assists.

The fourth and final set stayed very close the whole way through. After an 11-11 tie, the Knights went on a 4-0 run which gave them the biggest lead of the set. After coming back and tying the match at 17-17, the Blazers dropped five of the next six points and the Knights took a 22-18 lead. The Blazers then came back to tie the game at 23-23. After going back and forth and tying the game two more times, the Knights eventually pulled ahead to take the 27-25 win.

Rinde led the offense with 17 kills and Schmitt and Franz both added another 11. Nass collected 17 digs for the defense and Gabi Narvaez totaled 12 more. Franz also finished the night with five total blocks and a hitting percentage of .391.

The Blazers are on the road Wednesday, Oct. 8, when they take on St. Thomas at 7 p.m. in St. Paul.