ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Kali Jones had 14 kills and hit .393 to lead the (RV) College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (16-6, 8-1 MIAC) to a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-20, 26-24) over Carleton College (6-14, 3-6 MIAC) on Wednesday, October 25 in MIAC play at Claire Lynch Hall.

CSB, which was listed among the seven teams in the NCAA DIII Region IX rankings earlier today, rolled to their seventh 3-0 sweep of the season. The Bennies hit .191 with 38 kills on 110 attacks while recording 10 blocks, nine service aces and 50 digs.

The Bennies' offense was led by Jones, who recorded 14 kills or more for the seventh time this year. Jones, a first-year outside hitter, also recorded her 12th double digit kill performance. Senior outside hitter Emma Guest added nine digs, two service aces and eight kills on 20 attacks for a .250 hitting percentage.

With the victory, CSB moved to 8-1 in the MIAC, which places them second behind No. 18 Gustavus Adolphus (20-6, 8-0 MIAC). The Bennies sit 16-6 overall and surpassed the 15-win total of a year ago.  

Saint Ben's head coach Nicole Hess praised the team's "never give up attitude" in the victory tonight.

"We continued to battle and never got down on ourselves," said Hess, whose team rallied from deficits in all three sets to improve to 6-2 at home and will host Concordia on Saturday (Oct. 28) at 5 p.m. "We stayed consistent and believed in each other. We were really proud of our teamwork and commitment we had to each other. Our entire roster played a key role in the win," added Hess, whose team honored the CSB/SJU faculty on Faculty Night.

CSB also had another solid performance from junior setter Audrey Spolidoro, who had her 13^th double double of the season and 36^th of her career. She totaled 27 assists with 13 digs while supplying two kills and two block assists. First-year Ingrid Noha had 14 digs in her first career start. Also, for CSB, sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Knofczynski had seven kills and five block assists.

Game Summary
Early in the opening set, Carleton jumped out to a 7-4 advantage and still led, 14-10, before the Bennies rallied. Knofczynski' s kill provided a side out and started a 6-1 run, which included a kill from Guest, and a pair of service aces from Jones. Ahead 16-15, the Bennies had another 5-1 run for a 21-16 lead as Spolidoro's service ace sparked that rally. CSB, which hit .243 on 14 kills and 37 attacks, closed on a 4-2 run to grab the 25-18 set win and a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, both teams traded points early. Then Guest's fifth kill and ace from Libby Burns, gave CSB a 9-7 advantage. However, the visitors responded with an 8-2 run to lead 15-11. Once again, CSB rallied as a kill by Knofczynski, who also teamed with Brooke Andries on a block, was part of a 7-3 run as Saint Benedict took an 18-15 lead. With a 5-3 closing run, the Bennies, which hit .159 with 15 kills on 44 attacks, took a 25-20 set win for a 2-0 lead.

In the third set, Carleton jumped out to a 6-1 lead. But the Bennies, which hit .172 (10K-5E-29A), again responded. With an 8-3 run, highlighted by a Paige Andries' kill (5 kills, 11 attacks, .273 hitting mark for the match), the Bennies drew the set even at 9-9. After the teams were tied four times, including at 14-14, CSB had a 6-0 run to take a 20-14 advantage. However, the Knights responded with a 10-3 run to grab a 24-23 lead. After a timeout, CSB scored the final three points of the game to earn the set and match victory at 26-24.