ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The 1,000^th kill of Hunter Weiss' College of Saint Benedict volleyball career couldn't have come at a better time.
 
After getting down 9-4 to Hamline early in the fourth set Wednesday – and down 2-1 in the match – CSB clawed its way back into the match, and a kill from Madison Weiss tied the set at 12-12. A Piper attack error made it 13-12 CSB, and Hunter's 1,000^th kill made it 14-12 midway through the set.
 
That kill opened the floodgates for Hunter – who is the 14^th member of CSB's 1,000-kill club, and the first athlete to reach the milestone for the program since 2013. After Wednesday's match, she has 1,006 kills in her three seasons with the team. A short time later she recorded three straight kills to tie the set again at 19-19 and helped set her team up to come away with a win. That momentum carried over into the fifth set, and CSB stayed undefeated in Claire Lynch, beating the Pipers 3-2.
 
Saint Benedict – ranked 12^th in Division III – is now 18-3 overall and in second in the MIAC with a 5-2 conference record. The win snapped the team's two-game losing streak, and helped get the team back on track with just four conference games left in the regular season.
 
Hamline (11-9, 2-4) didn't make it an easy win for Saint Benedict, however. After falling to the Pipers 25-22 in the first set, CSB came back to win the second 25-12. Hamline bounced back to take a 2-1 lead thanks to a 25-22 win in the third set, and almost picked up the win in the fourth, but CSB won 26-24 and went on to win the fifth and final set 15-6.
 
Neither team led by more than two in the first set until a kill from Gabby Heying and a service ace from Mary Wenisch made it 21-18 in CSB's favor. The Pipers, however, rattled off seven of the last eight points to pull out the win and take a 1-0 lead.
 
The second set was all CSB. Behind three kills, two big solo blocks and three block assists from Madison Weiss, the team opened up an early 7-3 lead, then led 17-9 midway through the set. A kill from Colleen Zadoo made it 24-17, and Hunter got a kill to end the set. Saint Benedict snagged a 4-1 lead early in set three, and later led 9-5, but the Pipers fought back and tied the set 10-10. The went on a 7-1 run to go up 18-13, and took a 24-18 lead. A service error, attack error and two kills from Hunter made it 24-22, but Hamline got the kill to end the set and go up 2-1.
 
The two teams battled back and forth in the fourth set, and Weiss' 1,000^th kill helped the team stay in the set – and the match. Saint Benedict had match point at 24-23 on a kill from Heying but the Pipers tied the set, but Heying and Madison had kills to end the set and push the match to a fifth and final set. Two kills each from Madison and Hunter put CSB up 3-1 early, and kills from Katie Koch, Madison and Heying made it 11-5. Hamline got one more point on a kill, but CSB scored the last four points – including one final kill from Hunter – to seal the win.
 
Madison finished with 22 kills, Hunter added 16 and Heying chipped in with 10 for CSB, which had 66 kills to the Pipers' 51. Koch finished with 50 assists, 14 digs and five kills, and LaValle reached the 30-dig mark for the first time this season, finishing the match with 31. Maurissa Isaacs added 18 digs, Bridget McDonald had 12 and Mary Wenisch added 11. Madison finished with six block assists and four solo blocks, while Hunter had three assisted blocks and two solo blocks.
 
Madison Hurrle led Hamline with 14 kills and four block assists. Megan Rubbelke had 37 assists and Morgen Coleman and Gabby Robinson had 20 digs each.
 
CSB is on the road Saturday, Oct. 19, when it wraps up nonconference play at St. Scholastica. The team is at home back-to-back days Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26, when it takes on Carleton and Gustavus.