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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After defeating Gustavus in the first round of the MIAC Tournament on Tuesday by a score of 3-0, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team heads to St. Paul Thursday, Nov. 6, to face St. Thomas. The second-seeded Tommies and third-seeded Blazers battle in the MIAC semifinals tonight at 7.
 
About the Tommies: After starting the season with a record of 4-4, the Tommies went on a 13-game winning streak, which included five conference wins. They currently sit with a record of 22-6 and are ranked No. 4 in the nation. The Tommies, who were regular-season co-champs with Augsburg, have also played very well against MIAC teams this season and have a 10-1 conference record and finished the first round of playoffs with a 3-0 sweep of Bethel.
 
Earlier this Season: Saint Benedict and St. Thomas met on Oct. 8 in St. Paul and the Tommies, ranked No. 12 in Division III, came away with a 3-1 win. The Blazers won the first set 25-22, but St. Thomas came back to win the next three 25-16, 25-19, 25-20. Lexi Rinde finished with 13 kills and Laura Schmitt and Bailey Rykken each had 10. These two teams also met twice last year – including once for the conference tournament title – and the Tommies won both matchups.
 
The Storyline: The Blazers head into this matchup with a seven-game winning streak. They have also won 29 of their last 35 sets and will be heading into this matchup with both momentum and an aim at revenge. The Tommies will also head into this matchup on a three-game winning streak, an almost perfect conference record and home court advantage with a 4-1 home record.
 
Who to Watch: Laura Schmitt sits in third place in the MIAC and leads the Blazers with 323 kills this season while Lexi Rinde adds another 266. Kockelman leads the MIAC with a hitting percentage of .369 and 11.13 assists per set. Also, she is third in the MIAC with 0.46 service aces per set. Victoria Nass leads the defense and is also fourth in the MIAC with 517 digs this season. Mary Franz also contributes to the Blazers defensive success as she sits third place in the MIAC with 0.87 blocks per set.
 
Last Time Out: In their last time out, the Blazers finished their first round of playoffs with a 3-0 win over Gustavus. They started the night with a 25-18 win in the first set and followed up by pushing through to a tight 28-26 victory in in next set. From here, the Blazers finished the night and advanced to the next round of playoffs with a 25-18 win in the third set. 
 
What's at Stake: The winner of tonight's match earns a trip to the MIAC Championship game Saturday night for a shot at a conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA National Tournament. In the other semifinal matchup tonight, No. 4 Saint Mary's is at No. 1 Augsburg at 7 p.m. in Minneapolis.