Live Stats/Video

For the first time in 2021, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team gets to play in front of its home crowd Wednesday, Sept. 8, when UW-Eau Claire comes to town.

First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Claire Lynch Hall. Wednesday's game also marks the first game that fans have been allowed at in Claire Lynch since Nov. 5, 2019. Per campus policy, all fans must be masked indoors at all times regardless of vaccination status.

Live stats and video will be available.

ABOUT THE BLUGOLDS
Eau Claire is 5-0 overall after not competing at all last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blugolds went 4-0 in St. Louis, Mo., including three straight sweeps to end the tournament. Makenzie Bachmann leads the team with 52 kills, and Charlie Nelson has 132 assists to pace the team's offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Taylor Scalia has a team-best 72 digs.

LAST MEETING
CSB took the last match against the Blugolds in November 2019 with a 3-1 win in St. Paul, Minn., in the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Bennies also beat the fourth-ranked Blugolds 3-1 in Eau Claire earlier that year. Eau Claire won the first set, but the Bennies came back to win the next three sets. Madison Weiss had 18 kills, Hunter Weiss had 16 kills and Katie Koch had 50 assists to lead the Bennies to victory.

THE STORYLINE
A young CSB squad was put to the test this past weekend against some highly ranked teams to start off the season. The Bennies' match against No. 7 Hope College proved that they are up for a challenge, holding on until the very end but falling short in a 3-2 loss. Junior Gabby Heying led the team with 24 kills and four service aces. The team also took on No. 9 Chicago and Aurora, which is receiving votes.

WHO TO WATCH
Back for her third season, junior Gabby Heying leads the team in kills with 49 so far in 2021, and on the court for her final season, senior Mary Wenisch leads the Bennies with 50 digs. Sophomore Payton Marker has the team-high assists with 58  and first year Audrey Spolidoro has 40 assists as the second setter in the team's 6-2 offense so far this season.