By Teddy Menor

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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The No. 21 College of Saint Benedict volleyball team heads to St. Paul Wednesday, Oct. 8, to face off against rival St. Thomas at 7 p.m. After suffering a 3-1 loss to Carlton in their last time on the court, the Blazers will be looking to bounce back as they head into the second half of conference play.
 
About the Tommies: The Tommies currently sit at the top of the MIAC with a 4-0 conference record and are ranked 12^th in the latest AVCA Division III poll. After starting the season 4-4, the Tommies are on a 10-match winning streak heading into tonight's matchup against the Blazers. On top of this, the Tommies still haven't lost a home match this season. Jill Greenfield leads the team with 188 kills and Kelly Foley has 172. Maddie Reese has 471 assists to her name and Whitney Abrahamson leads the defense with 289 digs.
 
Last Year: The Blazers and Tommies met twice last year, and St. Thomas won both matchups. When the two met in the regular season, the Tommies – ranked No. 3 in the nation – walked away with a 3-0 win. The two teams met again in the MIAC Championships game. This time, the Tommies were ranked No. 4 in the country and the Blazers were in the No. 7 spot. St. Thomas took a 3-2 win over the Blazers in a much closer match. Lexi Rinde finished with 12 kills, Victora Nass set a school record with 38 digs and Taya Kockelman had 38 assists and 11 digs.
 
The Storyline: The Blazers picked up their first MIAC loss of the year Saturday and will be fighting hard to get back on the right track. On top of this, the Blazers will be looking for revenge on a team that accounted for half of their conference losses last season. The Tommies also knocked the Blazers out of the MIAC tournament last season and the Blazers will be looking to make things even.
 
Who to Watch: Laura Schmitt leads the Blazers with 195 kills this season and Lexi Rinde has another 149. Mary Franz also leads the team with 44 total blocks. Taya Kockelman is currently leading the MIAC with 10.98 assists per set and Victoria Nass leads the defense with 339 digs.
 
Last Time Out:  Saturday afternoon, the Blazers suffered a tough 3-1 loss to Carleton at home. The Knights took the first set by a score of 25-23 and followed with a 25-20 win in the next set. The Blazers rallied back in the third set to capture a 25-20 win. In the fourth set, the two teams stayed within a few points the whole match until Carleton finally pulled ahead to take the 27-25 win. Rinde had 17 kills, Nass had 17 digs and Kockelman had 45 assists. The Tommies have been off since Oct. 1 when they beat St. Catherine 3-0 (25-9, 25-19, 25-23). Foley had nine kills, Reese finished with 18 assists and Greenfield had 19 digs.