ST.JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is back on the road for a pair of MIAC matches after back-to-back sweeps at home. CSB travels to Saint Mary's for a 7 p.m. contest Friday, Sept. 29 in Winona, then heads to Northfield for a 3 p.m. match at Carleton Saturday, Sept. 30.
About the Opponents
St. Mary is coming off a five-set win at St. Kate's on Saturday. The Cardinals are currently 11-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Last year, the Cardinals finished the season 24-5 overall and 8-3 in MIAC matches. Saint Marys is led by Brandi Blattner, who has 183 kills and 149 digs. Cardinal libero Clare Tack – this week's MIAC Libero of the Week – has 258 digs, and Brittney Hanson has 373 assists.
The Knights are 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the MIAC – but are 2-1 so far on their home court. Prior to Saturday's match against Concordia, the Knights had lost two straight and were 1-7 in their past eight games. Abby Loe leads the team with 89 kills and 11 digs, Lauren Pak has 286 assists and Lucy Stevens also has 82 kills and 21 total blocks.
Last Year
Saint Mary's took home a 3-1 victory against CSB last year in St. Joseph. Leading Saint Benedict were
Briana Schmiesing with 10 kills,
Megan Pekarek with 31 assists, and
Haley LaValle with 14 digs. Saint Benedict beat Carleton 3-1 on the Knights' home court last season. Schmiesing had 11 kills, LaValle had 15 digs and Pekarek finished with 43 assists.
Who to Watch
At the front of CSB's offense is first-year right side
Hunter Weiss, who currently has 139 kills and is this week's CSB Athlete of the Week. Junior outside
Liz Schultz follows with 122 kills, and
Madison Weiss has put up 48 blocks.
Megan Pekarek is up to 466 assists and 50 kills. CSB defensive specialist
Haley LaValle is the defensive frontrunner with 199 digs.
The Storyline
After picking up two home victories this past week, CSB has an overall record of 7-6 and a 2-1 MIAC record. Back on the road for the next three games, the team looks to improve its conference record against Saint Mary's this Friday and Carleton on Saturday. CSB is back at home against Bethel University on October 6.
