ST. JOSEPH, MINN. -- With five wins in seven matches, the College of Saint Benedict Volleyball Team (12-7, 4-1 MIAC, 2nd) will hit the road for matches at Saint Mary's University (9-11, 2-3 MIAC) in Winona, Minn., on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm and at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 5 pm.
 
To follow along, click here for live stats and live video vs Saint Mary's. Click here for live stats and live video vs Carleton College. 
 
Bennies knock off #15 Augsburg; deliver Coach Hess 300^th win
In a pair of home matches on Oct. 7-8, the Bennies continued their recent surge by recording sweeps on both nights to extend their winning streak to three matches. On Oct. 7, junior outside hitter Emma Guest had 15 kills and hit a career-best .481, to help CSB sweep Macalester, 3-0, and deliver the 300^th career win for Head Coach Nicole Hess. St. Ben's wrapped up an impressive weekend by knocking off No. 15 Augsburg (14-4, 3-2), 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20), at Claire Lynch Hall with a balanced and focused effort. For the first time since defeating No. 11 Augsburg, also by a score of 3-0 at home on Oct. 5, 2019, CSB defeated a top-20 ranked team in NCAA DIII.  In each of those three wins, St. Ben's won in three sets as they have moved into second place in the MIAC with a 4-1 record while standing 12-7 overall.
 
CSB Player Notes
First team All-MIAC outside hitter Gabby Heying, along with the reigning CSB Athlete of the Week Emma Guest sit in the top 10 in the MIAC in points. Heying, who has 22 double doubles (kills/digs) and 50 matches with double digit kills, is fourth with in the MIAC with 275.5 points or 3.94/set. She has 248 kills, 17 service aces, three block solos and 15 block assists. She has a career high of 24 kills in a match (Hope, 9/4/2021) and has 853 career kills. She is approaching her career-best kills in a season of 291 or 2.51/set in 2019. Guest has totaled 223 kills with 24 service aces, two block solos and 17 block assists for 257.5 points or 3.68/set this season. She has six double doubles and has twice recorded 20 kills in a match. Sophomore setter Audrey Spolidoro, who has 19 double doubles (assists/digs) this season, leads the MIAC with 706 assists for 10.09/set. In her career, she has 1,227 set assists or 8.34/set. Eight times this season, she has 40 or more kills with a career-best 59 against Texas Lutheran on Sept, 9, 2022. Mackenzie McDonald is seventh in the MIAC with 334 digs or 4.77/set.
 
Stat Breakdown for CSB
The Bennies rank fifth in the MIAC with a .177 hitting mark but rank third the league in kills with 885 for 13.41 kills/set, which ranks first in the MIAC. Led by Spolidoro's 706 set assists, CSB ranks first with 825 or a team average of 12.50 per set. The Bennies lead a third category with 1,343 digs or 20.35/set.

Quick Look at Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's, which is 9-11 overall and 2-3 in conference play, defeated Hamline University, 3-0, on Oct. 7; Carleton College, 3-0 but lost to Buena Vista (Iowa) at home, 3-1. At home, they are 1-3 this year. In the MIAC, ranks seventh in hitting percentage at .171 with 861 kills on 2.766 attacks in 75 sets. Saint Mary's is 10^th with 92.0 or 1.23/set. An outstanding serving team, they rank fourth with 147 across 75 sets or 1.96/set. In addition, they are seventh in digs with 1,254 or 16.72.   A player to watch is Ciarra McNally, who is fifth in the league with 292 points or 3.89/set. She has 260 kills, 18 service aces, nine block solos and 10 block assists.
 
Series Notes
In the all-time series, Saint Benedict owns a 25-11 series lead over Saint Mary's with two straight wins, including a 3-0 decision on Oct. 15, 2021. From Sept. 24, 1993, to Oct. 1, 1999, CSB won eight straight matches. At Saint Mary's, CSB has a 12-5 mark and sit 21-8 overall. In the first match up on Sept. 24, 1993, Bennies took a 3-0 decision.
 
Quick Look at Carleton College
Carleton College, which is 4-13 overall and 0-6 in conference play, has lost two straight matches, including a 3-0 setback to Saint Mary's University on Oct. 8. They lost to Bethel University, 3-0 on Oct. 7. The most recent win for the Knights was a 3-1 home win over Luther College- at home on Oct. 1. In the MIAC, Carleton College ranks sixth in hitting percentage at .172 with 673 kills on 2,060 attacks in 63 sets. In blocking, the Knights ranks fifth in the MIAC with 93.0 total or 1.48/set. A player to watch is sophomore outside hitter Kerrigan Candra who has 190 kills or 3.17/set in 60 sets. She is sixth in the MIAC with 223 points or 3.72/set. Senior OH/MB Jancyn Appel of Carleton ranks third in blocks with 53 total or 0.85/set. She has sixteen solo blocks, tied for second in the league, and 37 block assists.
 
Series Notes
In the all-time series, Saint Benedict owns a 28-7 series lead over Carleton College with six straight wins. In away match ups, CSB is 13-2 and sit 22-7 in MIAC contests against Carleton. In the last meeting, CSB took a 3-0 win on Oct. 16, 2021, and won the first match up on Sept. 10, 1993.
 
Head Coach Nicole Hess records 300^th career win
In her 13^th season, Head Coach Nicole Hess has led CSB to a 12-7 record and 4-1 in the MIAC for second place. Hess, who was inducted into the St. Olaf Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 – has coached 12 All-Americans, 75 All-Central Region players, 28 All-MIAC athletes and 31 athletes who earned Academic All-MIAC honors. She is 237-114 overall at CSB and 91-35 in MIAC play.

In her 19 seasons overall as a head coach, Hess is 301-246 overall and 106-97 in conference play. On Sept. 6, 2003, she registered her first victory against UW-Stevens Points. Her 100^th victory was at CSB against Gustavus Adolphus on Nov. 1 and her 200 victories came on Sept. 17, 2016, against Buena Vista University. She recorded her 300^th win on Oct. 7, 2022, against Macalester College. Hess led CSB to a national tournament berth each year from 2011-15, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2012, and made it back to the NCAA Tournament each year from 2017-19 with a 26-8 record and another Sweet 16 trip in 2018 and a 26-6 record and an Elite 8 appearance in 2019. She has won 18 or more games in nine of her 12 seasons, including four seasons with 21 wins or more. After a 12-13 finish in 2016, CSB went 19-9 in 2017 before reaching the 20-win milestone for the fourth time in her career in 2018. CSB finished 18-10 overall and third in the MIAC in 2015, and in 2014 Hess helped CSB finished 21-10 overall while picking up the 100^th win of her CSB coaching career.

Hess came to CSB in 2009 from St. Catherine where she was the head coach from 2003-09. She inherited a rebuilding Wildcat program and made great progress in her seven seasons there. During her last two seasons, the Wildcats won more than 10 games for the first time since 1996. She won MIAC Coach of the Year honors in 2009. As a collegiate player, Hess achieved success as a four-time All-MIAC honoree at St. Olaf College. She was a three-time member of the All-Region team and in 2001 was selected to the AVCA All-America second team. Hess holds school records in career kills (2,041), career hitting percentage (.352), and hitting percentage in a season (.392). She is in the top 10 in St. Olaf history for single season hitting percentage in each of her four seasons, and her 573 kills as a sophomore is second in school history.