ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is back on the road this week to kick off the start of the MIAC season. CSB volleyball plays at St. Catherine University in a conference matchup in St. Paul at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

About St. Catherine
St. Kate's is off to a 5-4 record this season, and most recently a 3-0 win over Knox College on Saturday. Last year, the Wildcats finished 13-17 overall and 1-10 in the MIAC. This year, the Wildcats are led by Mackenzie Peper with 81 kills, Meagan Schwarzrock with 146 assists, and Larissa Kisch with 117 digs.

Last Year
CSB beat St. Kate's 3-1 last year in St. Paul. Briana Schmiesing led Saint Benedict with 17 kills, Megan Pekarek had 46 assists, and Haley LaValle finished with 17 digs in the win.

Who to Watch
A handful of leaders appeared for CSB's offense in the team's first five games of the year. Junior Liz Schultz leads the team with 56 kills, and first year Hunter Weiss has had a monster start – including 29 kills in her first two games – and is right behind with 50. Briana Schmiesing (39) and Lauren Mathews (26) also have had solid starts. Senior setter Megan Pekarek picked up right where she left off with 174 assists in five games, and she also has 20 kills. Haley LaValle has a team-high 87 digs and Schultz has 59. First year Madison Weiss averages a MIAC-best 1.00 blocks per set.

The Storyline
After losing its first three of four matches in Washington, and a loss at Augsburg last weekend, CSB looks to get its first MIAC win of the season under its belt. Saint Benedict is also getting used to playing on the road, as the team isn't at home until Sept. 22 after six more road games. After Wednesday, CSB heads to the UW-River Falls tournament for four games this weekend.