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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Saint Benedict volleyball team advances to the MIAC Tournament Tuesday, Nov. 4, after closing the regular season with a 3-1 win over Concordia on Saturday. The Blazers faceoff against Gustavus in the Claire Lynch Hall at 7 p.m. with hopes of extending their six-game winning streak into the playoffs.
 
Admission for the MIAC Quarterfinal matchup is $3 for students and $7 for adults. The first 50 students in Claire Lynch get in free courtesy of CSB Senate.
 
About the Gusties: The Gusties are currently sitting with a record of 11-14 and finished the regular season 5-6 in conference play. After starting 5-3 in the conference, the Gusties lost their last three conference games and have only taken one of their last nine sets. The Gusties need a win in tomorrow's game to continue their season.
 
Last Meeting: Gustavus and Saint Benedict faced off two weeks ago when CSB traveled to St. Peter, Minn., and defeated the Gusties 3-1 on Oct. 25. The Blazers won 25-18, 20-25, 25-17 and 25-16. Laura Schmitt finished with 16 kills and 16 digs for her 17^th double-double of the year and Sophie Stangl and Lexi Rinde each added 10 kills. Victoria Nass had 14 digs and Taya Kockelman had 45 assists.
 
The Storyline: Both teams will be fighting to keep their seasons alive in the first round of playoffs, but the Blazers are coming in with a distinct advantage. These teams faced off just over a week ago in St. Peter and the Blazers took a 3-1 win. This paired with the fact that they have won 18 of their last 20 sets gives them a huge advantage over the Gusties, who are coming off three consecutive losses. Both teams are looking to advance as far as possible in the conference tournament to try and win a conference title or secure an at-large bid to the national tournament.
 
Who to Watch: Laura Schmitt sits in fifth place in the MIAC and leads the Blazers with 313 kills this season while Lexi Rinde adds another 257. Kockelman leads the MIAC with a hitting percentage of .374 and 11.10 assists per set. Also, she is third in the MIAC with 0.45 service aces per set. Victoria Nass leads the defense and is also fourth in the MIAC with 503 digs this season. Mary Franz also contributes to their defensive success as she sits fourth place in the MIAC with 0.88 blocks per set.
 
Last Time Out: In their last time out, the Blazers took a 3-1 win over Concordia in their last regular season match of the year.  After falling short by a score of 19-25 in the first set, the Blazers came back strong with a 25-20 win followed by two 25-19 wins to end the night. Sophie Stangl finished the night with 15 kills and a hitting percentage of .353 and Lexi Rinde added another 13 kills. Taya Kockelman totaled 50 set assists for the fifth time this season and Victoria Nass led the defense with 26 digs.