ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Lauren Mathews had a career night for the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team, but it wasn't enough in a five-set loss to Hamline.
 
Mathews finished the night with a career-high 20 kills and eight block assists in CSB's 3-2 loss to the Pipers. Hamline (9-8, 3-4) won the first two sets 26-24 and 25-16, but Saint Benedict came charging back to win the next two sets 25-15 and 25-13. CSB appeared to be on its way to a win in the fifth set, but Hamline came back to win 18-16.
 
Saint Benedict is now 9-10 overall and 3-4 in the MIAC with two and a half weeks remaining in the regular season. CSB has six regular-season games left, including four MIAC contests.
 
CSB took a 24-21 lead in the first set off a block from Ashley Trustheim and Mathews, but the Pipers scored five straight points to pull out the win. The second set was close, and CSB took an 8-7 lead on a kill by Liz Schultz, but Hamline went on a 12-1 run to go up 20-9 en route to another win.
 
Saint Benedict came out swinging in the third set as Mathews had a pair of kills and Hamline had several attack errors to help CSB to a 7-2 lead early. The Pipers got within 12-10, but Briana Schmiesing had a pair of kills to help extend CSB's lead, and it held on for the win. Saint Benedict picked up an early lead again in set four and held on to tie the match at 2-2.
 
Kills from Schmiesing and Mathews put CSB up 7-4 midway through the fifth and final set, and another kill from Schmiesing later made it 10-6, but the Pipers came back again, scoring six straight points to go up 12-10. A service error and kill by Trustheim tied the score, and the score was tied again at 13, 14, 16 and 16 points, but a pair of Hamline kills ended the match in the Pipers' favor.
 
Mathews led the team in both kills and blocks. Schmiesing also had 13 kills and Schultz finished with 11. Megan Pekarek had 51 assists – the third time this season she has notched 50 or more in a match. Haley LaValle led the defense with 24 digs and Meghan Koop (20), Allison Roehl (15) and Megan Pekarek (14) also hit double digit digs. Roehl's 15 digs are a career-high.
 
CSB is back on the road Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15, when it travels up to the northern part of the state. CSB takes on UW-Superior Friday night in Superior, Wis., and St. Scholastica Saturday in Duluth.