Live VideoST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After beating the University of Morris 3-0 at home last week, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team traveled to Boston to face off in the University of Massachusetts-Boston Tournament. CSB finished 2-2 in the tournament and is back in Minnesota and ready for a match against rival St. Thomas at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 in St. Paul.
About the Tommies: The Tommies currently sit with a record of 3-5 and will be playing their first conference game at home against the Blazers. The Tommies are coming off a 1-3 finish in their four games of the Augsburg College Invitational. The Tommies entered this tournament with a record of 2-2 with a 3-2 win over Johns Hopkins and a 3-1 win over Wisc.-River Falls. UST fell from No. 20 to the receiving votes section of the latest AVCA poll.
Last Year: The Blazers and Tommies faced off in two matches last season, and the Tommies walked away with wins in both. In their regular-season matchup, the Blazers started out strong with a 25-22 win in the first set. The Tommies then came back to win the final three sets by scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-20.
Laura Schmitt finished this game with 10 kills and 17 digs.
When the Blazers faced St. Thomas in the final game of the MIAC Tournament, the Tommies were ranked No. 8 in the country. The Tommies took the first set by a score of 25-21 before the Blazers battled back to take a 25-15 win in the second set. From here, the Tommies took a 25-23 win in the third set and finished the night with a 25-21 win in the fourth set. In this match, Schmitt finished with nine kills and 27 digs and
Mary Franz helped lead the defense with two blocks.
The Storyline: The Blazers will be hitting the road with hopes of starting conference play with a win over their rivals after dropping both games to the Tommies last season. They will also be looking to walk away with a winning record for the first time this season. The Tommies will also be looking to improve their record as they search for a winning record as well.
CSB is looking for its first win against St. Thomas since 2009. The Blazers beat the Tommies 3-1 on Oct. 14, 2009 in St. Paul, marking the first win over their rivals since 2004. Since the 2009 win, CSB is 0-9 against UST.
Who to Watch: Schmitt currently leads the team with 102 kills and is averaging 3.29 kills per set.
Meghan Koop also sits with 67 kills and leads the defense with 119 digs. Meghan Pekarek started out her first season with the Blazers strong and leads the team with 262 assists and 8.45 assists per set.
Last Time Out: In their last time out, the Blazers won their sixth consecutive set with a 3-0 win over Tufts University. The Blazers took a close first set by a score of 25-22 before powering through the second set, taking a 25-13 win. The Jumbos came back in the third set, but it wasn't enough to stop the Blazers' momentum as they walked away with a 25-23 win to end the University of Massachusetts Tournament.
