ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is back on the road this weekend for two MIAC matches. CSB takes on Carleton at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21. Then, the Blazers travel to Gustavus for a match at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. CSB heads into the weekend coming off of two straight 3-0 wins at UW-Superior and St. Scholastica last weekend.
 
About the Knights and Gusties
Carleton enters Friday's game with a record of 12-6 overall and 3-4 in the MIAC. The Knights are coming into this game after a 3-2 loss at St. Thomas. Lucy Stevens is fourth in the MIAC with 263 kills, and Katie Tritschler has 378 digs. Caroline Duke leads the team with 384 assists.
 
Gustavus enters Saturday's game with a record of 18-6 overall and 6-1 in MIAC play. The Gusties are coming into this game after a 3-2 win against Buena Vista. Lauren Hanson is second in the MIAC with 307 kills, followed by Hanna Albers who is third in the MIAC with 270 kills. Nora Holtan leads the MIAC with 930 assists, and Brittany Luethmers is second in the MIAC with 462 digs.
 
Last Year
Carleton beat CSB 3-1 on Oct. 7 in St. Joseph. CSB won the first set, then lost the next three sets. Megan Pekarek finished with 45 assists, Briana Schmiesing had 13 kills and Meghan Koop had 13 digs and nine kills.
 
Gustavus beat CSB 3-2 on Oct. 24 in St. Joseph. CSB won the first two sets before dropping the final three sets. Each set was decided by four points or less. Megan Pekarek finished with a triple double. She had 48 assists, 14 digs, and 11 kills. Meghan Koop had 30 digs for the Blazers and Lauren Mathews had 13 kills.
 
Who to Watch 
Megan Pekarek leads the Blazers with 747 assists and is first in the MIAC with 9.70 assists per set. Liz Schultz (206 kills) and Briana Schmiesing (200 kills) lead the Blazers on attack. Haley LaValle leads the team with 340 digs, followed by Meghan Koop with 284 digs. Liz Schultz and Lauren Mathews both have at least 60 total blocks this season.
 
The Storyline 
CSB is looking to improve its 4-3 MIAC record in two conference matchups this weekend against Knights and Gusties teams that have proven to be tough competition this year. The Knights and Gusties are currently at eighth and second, respectively, in the MIAC standings. Saint Benedict is currently tied for fifth in the MIAC standings with four conference games left to play.