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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – This weekend marks the final two games of the regular season for the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team, and there's still a lot at stake.
 
The Bennies are in the hunt for a spot in the MIAC Tournament with one game left in Claire Lynch and one road game left on the 2021 MIAC schedule. CSB starts the weekend at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, when it hosts St. Kate's, and wraps up the regular season at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, in Moorhead against Concordia.
 
The Bennies are also honoring senior Mary Wenisch at the conclusion of Friday's match. Per CSB policy, all fans are required to wear a mask in Claire Lynch, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are also required in the gym Saturday at Concordia per Concordia College campus policy.
 
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
St. Kate's is 11-12 overall, tied for fifth in the MIAC at 4-5 and riding a two-game win streak into Friday after sweeping both Augsburg and St. Scholastica. Lauren Isaacson is one of six players with 100 kills or more, and leads the Wildcats with 187 kills. St. Kate's is also balanced on defense as Julia Weiler leads the team with 261 digs and is one of three players with 200 or more digs.
 
Concordia is 8-16 overall and 1-8 in the MIAC and looking to snap a two-game losing streak heading into the weekend to end the season on a high note. Anna Brakke leads the team with 244 kills, Kenzie Urbanec has 525 assists and Chloe Markovic leads the defense with 371 digs. Brakke also has 325 digs.
 
LAST MEETING
Saint Benedict beat the Wildcats 3-2 in a tight MIAC match on Sept. 25, 2019, in St. Paul. The Bennies went up 2-1, but St. Kate's tied the match 2-2 before CSB held on for a 15-13 win in the fifth set. Gabby Heying had seven kills and Mary Wenisch had 17 digs.
 
The Bennies swept Concordia on March 24, 2021, during the team's shortened season last spring. The Cobbers stayed fairly close throughout, but CSB held on for 25-19, 25-16 and 25-23 wins. Emma Guest had 10 kills and Mackenzie McDonald had 11 digs.
 
THE STORYLINE
With just two games left in the 2021 regular season, CSB and the Wildcats head into Friday's match in a four-way tie for fifth in the MIAC standings - and the top six teams make the conference tournament. Both teams need a win for tiebreaker purposes to snag either the fifth or sixth seed.
 
WHO TO WATCH
Gabby Heying had 15 kills and eight digs in a huge MIAC sweep of St. Olaf Friday in Northfield. Mary Wenisch also had a big night with 26 digs and Audrey Spolidoro tied her career-high again with 37 assists. Heying is currently eighth in the MIAC with 247 total kills and Wenisch is 10th with 307 digs.