ST. JOSEPH, Minn. –- Audrey Spolidoro and Emma Guest had double doubles to lead the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team to a fifth straight victory (12-4, 5-0 MIAC) in a 3-0 decision (25-18, 25-17, 26-24) over Bethel (4-11, 1-3 MIAC) on Wednesday, October 4 at Claire Lynch Hall.

With a fifth straight MIAC win, CSB sits in first place in the conference at 5-0. The Bennies improved to 4-1 at home with their fourth sweep of an opponent this year.

CSB head coach Nicole Hess, who earned her 98^th career MIAC win at Saint Benedict, was pleased with her team's energy and the outstanding play by the Bennies on both offense and defense.

"Our passing was great tonight. Staying in system against a quality opponent was an important key to the game and allowed us to run a variety of options with our hitters," said Hess, whose team will next face Macalester in MIAC play on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in St. Paul. "I am extremely proud of our team. The energy that they give to each other is exceptional. We have had an intense first half of the season and we are excited to have some time off in the next few days. We will be ready to go at it again next week," she said.

Junior setter Audrey Spolidoro had 37 set assists and 17 digs for her seventh double double of the season and the 30^th of her career. Spolidoro, who has twice earned MIAC Volleyball Specialist of the Week honors in 2023, also had two kills, and a service ace.  

Guest, who had her fifth double double of the season and 16^th of her career, totaled a team-best 12 kills on 37 attacks and added 15 digs. Guest, who was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, also recorded three service aces.   

Senior Mackenzie McDonald recorded 17 digs as she reached double digits for the 15^th time in 16 games this year. McDonald now leads CSB in digs with 292 digs this season. Senior Paige Andries and her sister Brooke Andries combined for 18 kills on 40 attacks with just two errors. P. Andries recorded nine kills on 19 total attacks with just one error as she finished with a season-best .421 hitting percentage. And, B. Andries, a first-year right side hitter, had nine kills on 21 attacks with one error for a .381 hitting mark. Sophomore Mackenzie Knofczynski also registered nine kills, on 23 attacks for a .261 hitting percentage while senior Olivia Thompson added seven kills and 11 digs.

As a team, the Bennies totaled 48 kills on 133 attacks and a .256 hitting percentage. CSB, which had nine service aces, including a team-high four from Chaeli Haupert, also had 71 digs, two blocks and 42 assists.

Game Summary --
In the opening set, Guest and P. Andries led a strong hitting effort for CSB in a 25-18 win. CSB, which hit .316 on 16 kills in 38 attacks, had seven kills by Guest and six by P. Andries, who hit .750 on eight attacks. After a service ace by Haupert, CSB took a 5-2 lead. Bethel scored four straight points for a 6-5 lead, but the Bennies rebounded. After her fourth kill of the set by Guest, CSB had a 10-7 margin. The run continued to 7-0 after P. Andries had a pair of kills for a 14-7 lead as CSB cruised to the opening set win.

In set two, Bethel jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Saint Benedict rallied. Down 6-1, Bennies scored six straight points, including a pair of kills from Knofczynski and Thompson plus a pair of aces by Haupert, for a 7-6 lead.  CSB continued its run, extending it to 16-to-7, for a 17-13 edge. Knofczynski had another kill as the Bennies led, 21-14, on their way to a 25-17 decision and a 2-0 set lead.   

In the third set, the team battled from the start to finish.  After Bethel jumped ahead 7-5, on four straight points, Knofczynski had a kill to end the Royals' run. Then, CSB answered with a 6-3 run to move ahead, 12-10, following an ace by Guest. The Bennies pushed the advantage to 14-10 before the momentum shifted to the Royals. Bethel, which had 14 kills on the night from Peyton Howie, used a 14-7 run to grab the 24-21 lead.  At that point, CSB put together a remarkable comeback. Facing three straight set points, the Bennies fought back to a 24-24 tie. Then, they used a pair of kills from B. Andries for five straight points and an unlikely 26-24 come-from-behind set win, which clinched CSB's sweep.