ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team got an extra day of rest this week thanks to a bye in the first round of the MIAC Tournament, but now it's go time for CSB.
 
Saint Benedict – the No. 2 seed in the 2017 playoffs – hosts sixth-seeded Augsburg at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, in a MIAC Semifinal in Claire Lynch Hall. The winner earns a spot in Saturday's MIAC Championship match. Per MIAC policy, admission will be charged at the gate and no CSB/SJU IDs will be accepted. The cost per ticket is $7 for adults and $3 for students with a valid student ID. The first 150 CSB/SJU students get in free courtesy of CSB student senate and CSB athletics.
 
About the Auggies
Augsburg is 19-11 overall after upsetting third-seeded Gustavus 3-1 Tuesday in St. Peter – the Gusties' first home loss since 2014. The Auggies wrapped up the regular season on a three-match losing streak before rebounding Tuesday. Taylor Linn is third in the league with 355 kills and Morgan Malley is second with 1,144 assists to her name. Macey Terhell was named the league's co-Defensive Player of the Year with 602 digs.
 
Last Meeting
The Auggies have already beat CSB twice this season – once 3-0 in a nonconference matchup in early September and again 3-1 on Oct. 11 in Minneapolis. Hunter Weiss had 11 kills and Madison Weiss finished with nine in the October meeting. Megan Pekarek had 36 assists and Haley LaValle just missed her career-high with 27 digs.
 
The Storyline
Neither CSB or Augsburg are ranked in the latest AVCA Coach's Poll, so getting to the championship match might be the only way to earn a national tournament bid. CSB is, however, sixth in the Central Region rankings while the Auggies are unranked. Augsburg just missed a berth in the 2016 national tournament after being upset in the second round of the MIAC playoffs, and CSB missed out on the conference playoffs all together, so both teams feel they have something to prove in 2017.
 
Who to Watch
All-MIAC honors came out Wednesday, and CSB had a trio of players honored. Megan Pekarek earned first-team accolades for the third time, and Hunter Weiss and Madison Weiss both earned spots on the first team. This marks the first time since 2011 CSB volleyball has had a first year earn All-MIAC accolades.