ST. JOSEPH, MINN. – On a night when the College of Saint Benedict Volleyball team (11-7, 3-1 MIAC) won for the fourth time in six matches, the squad also delivered the 300^th career win for Head Coach Nicole Hess with a 3-0 victory over Macalester in MIAC play at Claire Lynch Hall.

 

When senior All-MIAC standout Gabby Heying put away consecutive kills to the close the final set, Hess was rewarded with her 300^th win, including 236 while at St. Ben's. It was a special moment for the 13^th year head coach who credited the many student-athletes who have contributed over the years as well as a hard-working coaching staff.

"I think winning 300 matches is about the student-athletes here at Saint Benedict and also at St. Catherine who have given so much to make the programs successful," said Hess, who came to CSB in 2009 after spending six years at St. Catherine (2003-09). "They (student-athletes) have made such a strong commitment to working hard and bringing energy every day. I also want to thank all my staff, especially Amanda Anderson, who has been with me all along. My staff has done an unbelievable job in the development of the student-athletes and shown tremendous commitment to the program," she said.

Hess, who has coached 12 All-Americans, 75 all-Central Region players and 28 All-MIAC players, has led the 2022 team to an 11-7 mark and a 3-1 league record in 2022.

On Friday night, the Bennies came up big by registering set wins of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-21 over Macalester, which is now 12-6 and 2-2 in the MIAC.

 

Junior Emma Guest led the way for CSB with 15 kills (27 attacks) and a career/season-best .481 hitting mark. Guest has 11 double-digit kill totals this season. In addition, Heying added 11 kills on 40 attacks with 12 digs for her 14^th double-double of the season. Sophomore setter Audrey Spolidoro supplied six kills and 34 assists with eight digs.

As a team, the Bennies had 44 kills on 123 attacks with a .252 hitting mark. They added 10 service aces, including four by Chaeli Haupert, and had three total blocks.

In a match with 13 tie scores across three sets, there were just four lead changes, which was reflective in the way the Bennies performed on this special Friday evening.

"I thought we played extremely well tonight," added Hess, whose team will host #15 Augsburg (14-3, 3-1 MIAC) on Saturday at 5 p.m. "It was all about the focus, energy and resilience this team showed all night, point-after-point," she added.

In the opening set, CSB took control early and hit .243 with 14 kills on 37 attacks. After opening with a 5-3 lead, the Bennies took control on a 14-to-5 run to take a 19-8 advantage after Heying had a pair of kills. Macalester fought back and closed within 22-17. But CSB received a kill from Spolidoro for a 24-18 lead and took the opening set at 25-20.

In set two, the Bennies cruised to a win with a match-high hitting mark at .371 with 16 kills on 35 attacks. After the teams battled to a 6-6 tie early in the set, CSB again found a rhythm and with a 7-to-2 run took a 13-8 advantage. From there, they added another run of 8-2 for a commanding 21-10 advantage with a pair of kills by Guest, and a service ace from Heying. CSB closed the set on kills by Oliva Thompson and Spolidoro for a commanding 2-0 set advantage.

In the final set, Macalester started strong and hit .234 on 15 kills (47 attacks) for the set. They led, 6-4, before Guest's service ace tied the set at 7-7. Once again, the visitors responded with three straight points for a 10-7 advantage.  However, CSB answered with six straight points for a 12-10 lead.  And the Bennies extended the lead to 17-13 after a kill by Madelyn Gregory.

CSB, which hit .173 with 14 kills on 52 attacks in the set, established a 21-15 advantage before the Scotts closed to 21-19 on a kill by Geber (11 kills on the night). After CSB took a timeout, the Bennies regained control, closing on a 4-2 run to bring home the match.