MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – After sweeping Macalester Friday on the road, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team was hoping to use that momentum to pick up a second road MIAC win Saturday night, but Augsburg had other ideas.
The Bennies kept things close, but the Auggies came away with the 3-0 win in Minneapolis. Augsburg won 25-20, 25-22 and completed the sweep with a tight 28-26 win in the third and final set.
In the first set, the Auggies (11-8, 3-2) jumped to a 7-2 lead, and pushed that to 14-6. Saint Benedict (3-11, 1-4) used several short runs to get within four, 21-17.
Grace Holm,
Audrey Spolidoro and
Madelyn Gregory had kills and Gregory and Spolidoro teamed up for a block to make it a four-point game. That was as close as CSB was able to get, however, as the Auggies took the first set.
In the second set the Bennies took a 5-2 lead early thanks to several Auggie attack errors and a kill from
Olivia Thompson, but Augsburg went on a 5-0 run to take an 11-8 lead. Thompson and Holm had kills to cut a 16-10 Auggie lead to 16-13, and later a
Gabby Heying kill and a pair of Augsburg errors got CSB within two, 21-19, but Augsburg was able to hold on once again.
Three Auggie errors and kills from Holm and Gregory put CSB up 5-2 early again in the third set, and a kill and a service ace from
Emma Guest made it 7-3, but Augsburg tied the game at 7-7 and from there it was back and forth the rest of the way. CSB led 18-16 after a pair of kills from Thompson, but the Auggie scored three straight points to go up 19-18. Saint Benedict went on a 4-1 run to go up 24-22, and later took a 25-24 lead and then a 26-25 on kills from Thompson, but Augsburg scored the final three points to compete the sweep.
Heying and Thompson both finished with 11 kills, and Thompson hit .333 on the night with just two errors. Spolidoro had 36 assists to go along with 14 digs, and Guest had eight kills and a season-high 17 digs.
Mary Wenisch also had 16 digs.
Kayla Gjerde led Augsburg with 11 kills, Izzy Barr had 24 assists and Maddie Nierengarten had 19 digs.
The Bennies are back at home next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15 and 16, for a pair of home games against Saint Mary's and Carleton. Both games are at 7 p.m.
