Women's Volleyball | 10/16/2015

Live Video (both games) | Live Stats (UWEC match only)

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team captured another conference win this week when it beat Hamline 3-0 on the road. It heads to the Eau Claire Tournament to take a two-game break from conference play Saturday, Oct. 17. The Blazers face off against the University of Wisconsin-Stout tomorrow at 10 a.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire at noon.
 
About the Blue Devils: The Blue Devils of Wisconsin-Stout are currently sitting with an overall record of 12-11. They have also gone 2-2 in conference play and will have another break from conference play as they head into the Coe College Invitational after this tournament. The Blue Devils have only three remaining conference matches and will be looking to use these tournaments to get more wins.
 
About the Blugolds: Wisconsin-Eau Claire currently sits with a 16-7 record and a 2-2 mark in conference play. After losing their last conference game to UW-Oshkosh by a score of 3-1, the Blugolds will be fighting to regain momentum as they also head into their final three conference games of the season. The Blugolds will also face off in the Coe College Invitational after their home tournament and will look to take advantage of these nonconference games as well.
 
Last Year: Last season, the Blazers took a 3-0 win over the Blugolds in the CSB Labor Day Tournament. They started the night out strong with a 25-14 win in the first set. From here, the Blazers followed up with a 25-17 win in the second set and took a 25-20 win in the third and final set. Mary Franz led the Blazers with eight kills and Meghan Koop added another six. Laura Schmitt also added 15 digs on the night.
 
The Storyline: After starting the season with a record of 12-4, the Blazers have gone 1-2 in their past three conference games. They will be coming off a big sweep win over Hamline, and head into this tournament looking to build up another winning streak after taking a 10-game winning streak earlier in the season. Both teams that they will face are 2-2 in conference and have only three remaining conference games. They will both be fighting for more wins as the end of their seasons draw near.
 
Who to Watch: Senior Laura Schmitt currently leads the Blazers with 276 kills and sits at fourth place in the MIAC with 3.63 kills per set. Meghan Koop is also averaging 1.92 kills per set and leads the team with 311 digs. Megan Pekarek leads the MIAC with 9.42 assists per set and Lauren Mathews is also leading the team defensively with Mary Franz who both sit with 63 blocks on the season.
 
Last Time Out: In their last match, the Blazers took a big 3-0 win over Hamline. This win came after two straight conference losses and was just the momentum swing they were looking for. In the first set, the Blazers took a 25-16 win, which was followed by a 25-14 win in the second set. The Blazers then finished the night with a 25-13 win in the third set. Schmitt and Mathews both finished the night with nine kills and Franz totaled five blocks on the night.