St. Olaf Live Stats/Video | Saint Mary's Live Stats/Video

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After extending its winning streak to eight games, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team will be hitting the road this weekend to face off against Saint Mary's University Friday followed by a match against St. Olaf College Saturday. The Blazers will face Saint Mary's in Winona at 7 p.m. and play St. Olaf in Northfield at 3 p.m.
 
About the Cardinals: The Cardinals have started the first half of their season very strong and sit with an overall record of 14-2. In conference play, they have started the season 3-0 and will be looking to keep their undefeated record as they head into their fourth conference match of the season. Since their first loss of the season to Stevens Point, the Cardinals have won 11 of their last 12 games and head into this matchup with a seven-game winning streak.
 
About the Oles: After starting their season with three straight wins, the Oles have been bouncing back and forth between winning and losing streaks. They currently sit with a record of 8-10 and have gone 0-3 in conference play. The Oles followed their initial success with a three-game losing streak before taking five consecutive wins and only two set losses. From here, the Oles have lost seven consecutive matches and will be heading into their matchup against the Blazers looking for their first conference win.
 
Last Year: Last season, the Blazers faced Saint Mary's at home and walked away with a 3-0 sweep. The Blazers took the first set by a score of 25-21 and followed up the next set with a 25-20 victory. In the third set, the Cardinals battled back, but the Blazers ended the night with a 27-25 win. Laura Schmitt led the Blazers with 15 kills and 13 digs as Mary Franz added another seven kills and four blocks.
 
In their last match against St. Olaf, the Blazers also took a 3-0 win as they faced the Oles in Northfield. They started the night with a 25-17 win and continued to dominate in the second set with a 25-14 win. In the third and final set, the Blazers walked away with a 25-19 win to bring their record up to 17-8. Schmitt and Franz both led the Blazers with eight kills each. Schmitt also finished with a team-high of 14 digs and Franz led the defense with two blocks.  
 
The Storyline: The Blazers have been building up a lot of momentum as they head into the heart of their conference season. With two games this weekend, the Blazers will be able to push through two teams that they swept last season to build on their undefeated conference record. The Cardinals are also undefeated in conference play and will be working hard to keep it that way. The Oles will also be fighting hard to gain their first conference win of the season.
 
Who to Watch: Schmitt currently leads the Blazers with 214 kills and sits with 3.82 kills per set. Meghan Koop is also averaging 2.11 kills per set and leads the team with 235 digs. Lauren Mathews is also leading the team with 49 blocks as Mary Franz adds another 45 on the season.
 
Last Time Out: In their last match, the Blazers faced off against Bethel at home and fought hard until the end to take a 3-2 win. Bethel started the night with a 25-19 win in the first set before the Blazers came back with two consecutive 25-20 set wins. Trailing 2-1, Bethel came back to take the fourth set by a score of 25-15 and send the match into a fifth set. Here, the Blazers finished off the night with a 15-10 win and gained their third conference win. Schmitt led the offense with 18 kills and finished the night with 24 digs. Franz also finished with 12 kills and led the defense with six blocks.