Live Stats/VideoST. JOSPEH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team heads to St. Paul Thursday, Nov. 5 to face off against Bethel University in the semifinal round of the MIAC Tournament.
This match comes after a very well-earned win over Carleton in the first round of the postseason, where the Blazers took a 3-2 win at home over the Knights. The Blazers face off against Bethel at 7 p.m. in the Robertson Center Gym.
About the Royals: With an overall record of 21-8, the Royals finished the regular season ranked at No. 2 in the MIAC. They also finished the season with a 9-2 conference record, with their only losses being to Gustavus by a score of 3-1 and to the Blazers, in St. Joseph, by a score of 3-2. The Royals have won eight consecutive conference matches, and will be heading into this matchup with a six-game winning streak. Kristin Stern leads the MIAC in hitting percentage (.347) and is fifth with 0.88 blocks per set.
Earlier this Year: The Blazers held on for a 3-2 win over Bethel earlier this season in St. Joseph. After falling 25-19 in the first set, CSB came back to win the next two 25-20, but the Royals came out strong in the fourth set and won 25-15. CSB won the fifth and final set 15-10.
Laura Schmitt led the team with 18 kills and 24 digs,
Briana Schmiesing had 13 kills and
Megan Barta set a career-high with 29 digs.
Megan Pekarek had 47 assists.
The Storyline: The Blazers finished the regular season sitting in the No. 3 spot in the MIAC and will head into this match hoping to move on and face the winner of the Gustavus and Saint Mary's matchup. They will also have the momentum as they took a close 3-2 win over the Royals earlier in the season. The Blazers have won 12 of their last 16 sets against the Royals, so Bethel will be heading into this matchup with hopes of beating the Blazers for the first time since 2011.
Who to Watch: Schmitt currently leads the Blazers with 371 kills and sits at fourth place in the MIAC with 3.50 kills per set.
Briana Schmiesing is also averaging 2.21 kills per set, and Lauren Matthews leads the Blazers with .84 blocks per set.
Megan Pekarek continues to sit at the top of the MIAC by a large margin with 9.58 assists per set, and
Meghan Koop sits with a team-high of 447 digs. Schmitt, Pekarek and
Mary Franz all earned All-MIAC honors, it was announced earlier this week, and Pekarek earned MIAC Setter of the Week honors for the third time this season.
Last Time Out: In the first round of the MIAC Tournament earlier this week, the Blazers fought hard until the end to take a 3-2 win over Carleton at home. After taking the first set by a score of 25-20, the Blazers fell in the next two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-15. From here, they came back to tie the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. From here, the Blazers dominated the fifth set and advanced to the next round of playoffs with a 15-8 win. Schmiesing led the Blazers with 13 kills as
Lauren Mathews added another 11 on the night. Franz dominated the net with career-high of nine total blocks, and Schmitt also finished the night with 10 kills and 17 digs. The three-time MIAC player of the week,
Megan Pekarek also racked up 44 assists.
