RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team split a pair of nonconference matches Friday afternoon in the first day of the UW-River Falls Tournament. The team started the afternoon with a 3-1 loss to UW-Stevens Point, but bounced back to defeat Simpson 3-1.
 
This marked the second time in a week Saint Benedict (8-4) had taken on Simpson, but the two matches couldn't have been more different. When the two teams played last weekend at CSB's home tournament, Saint Benedict won 3-0 in a quick, efficient match. This time, the Storm fought back, and pushed CSB point for point. CSB came away with the 25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21 win.
 
After winning the first set, CSB got down 15-8 to the Storm in set two. But kills from Emily Marso and Claire Westby and a handful of Simpson attack errors tied the match at 17, and kills from Liz Schultz and Westby later tied the match at 21 and 23 before the Storm pulled away for the win. Saint Benedict led 19-6 in set three before pulling out the win, and the team used kills from Madison Weiss and Schultz and a block by the same duo to win set four, and the match.
 
Weiss finished with 13 kills and seven block assists, Schultz had 12 kills and Marso had a career-high nine kills to lead CSB. Lauren Mathews also had nine kills. Sophomore setter Brynne Wahl had a career-high 25 assists while Katie Koch added 21, and Haley LaValle led the team with 22 digs. Allison Roehl (15), Schultz (14), Wahl (12) and Koch (12) also had double-digit digs.
 
In the team's first match of the day, CSB took set one from Stevens Point 25-18, but the Pointers (8-5) won the next three 25-21, 25-22 and 25-15. Saint Benedict led 15-6 early in set one against Stevens Point, and held on for the easy win. The team took a 5-1 lead in set two, but the Pointers pushed to go up 16-10, and later 20-12. A block and a kills from Weiss and a kill from Schultz helped cut the gap to 21-19, but UWSP held on for the win. A pair of kills from Schultz helped CSB claw back from an 18-13 deficit in set three, but the Pointers used big kills down the stretch to go up 2-1. The Pointers led throughout set four to hold on for the nonconference win.
 
Schultz had a team-high 12 kills to go along with 13 digs, Hunter Weiss added 11 kills and Madison Weiss finished with 10. Koch had 33 assists, LaValle had 28 digs and Roehl also added 11 digs.
 
CSB returns to action in River Falls at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, when it takes on host-school River Falls.