ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Everyone played a role for the College of Saint Benedict offense Wednesday evening in the team's 3-1 win over St. Kate's.
 
Four players had double-digit kills and sophomore setter Katie Koch recorded a career-high 48 assists to help the team start MIAC play with a win in Claire Lynch. Saint Benedict is now 7-3 overall and 1-0 in MIAC play. CSB won 25-11, 25-22, 24-26 and 25-21.
 
CSB started the match with an easy 25-11 win, and had 17 kills to the Wildcats' six in the efficient set. First year Claire Westby had three kills in the team's final five points to help seal the win.
 
Saint Benedict led 5-1 early in the second set before St. Kate's (4-2, 0-1) went on a run to take the lead. The two teams went back and forth until a pair of kills from Liz Schultz put CSB up 18-14. Two Wildcat attack errors put CSB up 20-15, but St. Kate's fourth back to within 21-19, then tied the set 21-21, but three straight attack errors – including a big block from Lauren Mathews and Hunter Weiss – gave CSB the win.
 
Saint Benedict held a slim lead throughout set three, including 15-9 after blocks by Koch and Madison Weiss and a solo block from Schultz, and a service ace from Schultz pushed that lead to 18-10, but St. Kate's went on an 8-1 run to make it 19-18, then tied the set at 20-20. A kill from Schultz put CSB at match point, but two kills and a CSB attack error gave the Wildcats the win.
 
St. Kate's used that momentum to take a 9-6 lead early in set four, but Saint Benedict went on an 8-0 run that included five Wildcat attack errors and a block from the Weiss twins to go up 18-12. The Wildcats went on a run of their own to make it 23-20, but Koch and Madison Weiss got a kill to make it 24-20 and a kill from Mathews ended the set and the match.
 
Hunter Weiss led the team with 14 kills, but Madison Weiss and Schultz both had 12 kills and Westby finished with 10. Madison also had seven total blocks and Hunter had five. Koch had 48 assists and Haley LaValle and Schultz led the team's defense with 24 digs a piece. Allison Roehl (15) and Bridget McDonald (10) also hit double-digit digs.
 
Emma Nelson led all hitters with 16 kills for St. Kate's, which hit just .095. Meagan Schwarzrock had 23 assists and Nelson and Grace Amacher each had 23 digs.
 
CSB is back on the road Friday and Saturday, Sept. 14-15, for the UW-River Falls tournament. The team takes on UW-Stevens Point and Simpson Friday and host-school River Falls Saturday.