ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Every match is big in the MIAC this season for the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team, but Wednesday's match at St. Thomas holds some extra postseason implications.
 
The Bennies travel to St. Paul to take on the Tommies – who are undefeated and at the top of the MIAC – for a 7 p.m. matchup Wednesday, Oct. 30. The match is crucial not only for MIAC Tournament seeding and home-court advantage, but also for region rankings and potential NCAA postseason bids.
 
About the Tommies
St. Thomas is 25-4 overall, 9-0 in the MIAC and ranked 22^nd in Division III. The Tommies were sitting inside the top 20, but a loss to Illinois Wesleyan on Oct. 19 snapped an 11-game winning streak and dropped the team a few spots in the national poll. That marked UST's first loss since Sept. 20. UST has been dominant this season, as only UW-Stevens Point and Willamette have taken the Tommies five sets. Grace Anetipe is second in the league with 1,107 assists, and Ellie Meyer leads the MIAC with 557 digs this season. Madie Kroehler, Fran, Egan and Selena Levendoski all have at least 250 kills in 2019, and two other players have at least 220 for the Tommies.
 
Last Meeting
CSB heads into Wednesday's match on a three-game winning streak against the Tommies – the program's longest since at least 2000. After beating UST for the 2017 MIAC Championship, CSB swept St. Thomas in 2018, winning 3-1 in the regular season and 3-2 in the MIAC Semifinals. UST was down 14-8 in the fifth set of the semifinals, but went on a 5-0 run to make it 14-13 before a kill from Madison Weiss ended the match. Weiss had 21 kills and nine total blocks, Katie Koch had 50 assist and Haley LaValle had a career-high 36 digs.
 
The Storyline
St. Thomas is currently in the driver's seat of the MIAC regular-season race with a two-game lead on both Augsburg and CSB, but Saint Benedict is on a four-match win streak heading into the key conference matchup. A win Wednesday would help solidify home-court advantage for at least one round of the MIAC Tournament for CSB, and a potential bye in the first round. A win would also go a long way for Saint Benedict in the region standings as the Tommies are in the top five in the Central Region rankings. UST is 10-1 at home this season, but CSB has had the Tommies' number for the past few seasons, and is looking for a fourth straight win.
 
Who to Watch
The latest NCAA DIII volleyball rankings came out Monday afternoon, and Madison Weiss is at the top in three categories. She leads the nation in blocks per set (1.69), hitting percentage (.434) and total blocks (147). Hunter Weiss is fifth with a .419 hitting percentage, and Koch is sixth with 10.85 assists per set. Junior Morgan Holthaus tied her career-high with eight kills Saturday in a win over Gustavus, and first year Gabby Heying had a career-high six service aces Friday in a sweep of Carleton.