ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – After cruising to a sweep of Carleton Wednesday night and improving to 5-0 in MIAC play, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team faces a tough test on the road Friday night when it heads to Arden Hills to take on Bethel. The two teams meet in a key MIAC matchup at 7 p.m.
 
About the Royals
Bethel has put together a solid season so far, and heads into Friday's match on a four-game winning streak. The Royals are 17-3 overall and 4-1 in the MIAC, with their only loss coming to Gustavus. Bethel beat then-No. 15 Northwestern earlier this season, and its only losses have been to teams who are currently ranked or who have been ranked in Division III. Tina Hoppe is currently third in the MIAc with 209 kills and Hannah Wilhite is second with 676 assists. Karin Canakes is second in the league with 93 blocks.
 
Last Meeting
CSB swept the Royals last season in St. Joseph. Bethel kept things close, but Saint Benedict won 25-22, 25-20 and 25-20. Hunter Weiss had 11 kills and Lauren Mathews and Madison Weiss each added eight. Haley LaValle had 19 digs and the team finished the match with 12 total blocks.
 
The Storyline
Both Saint Benedict and the Royals are at or near the top of the conference leaderboard, and both teams are looking to hold onto their positions as the conference season heats up. CSB also looks to stay perfect in MIAC play and push its conference record to 6-0. A win Friday would mark the first time since 2008 that the team started the year 6-0 in conference play. Friday's road game kicks off a tough stretch for CSB as the team hosts Augsburg Wednesday, then heads to Iowa for a trio of games against regional opponents. Bethel and CSB are two of the team's top offenses, and whoever can run those offenses most efficiently Friday will likely come out on top.
 
Who to Watch
The team was efficient in a sweep of Carleton Wednesday, and finished the night hitting .386 with just six hitting errors all night. Madison Weiss hit .571 with eight kills and Hunter Weiss hit .435 with 11 kills. Madison finished with seven blocks and leads the MIAC with 111 total blocks, and Hunter had six blocks to keep her at third in the MIAC with 86 total blocks. Katie Koch is back at the top of the MIAC leaderboard with 706 assists, and Haley LaValle is first with 382 digs.