NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- In the regular season finale, (RV) College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (17-9) dropped a 3-0 (26-28, 14-25, 19-25) decision to No. 20 UW-Stevens Point (22-8) in nonconference action on Saturday afternoon.

Saint Benedict, which finished the regular season at 17-9, including an 8-7 nonconference record, will next play in the MIAC Playoffs semifinals at Claire Lynch Hall on Thursday, Nov. 9. The Bennies finished league play at 9-2 and second place in the MIAC. CSB, which was ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA DIII Region IX rankings, is playoff-bound for a conference-record 22nd time and the eighth straight season after its top-two finish in the MIAC standings. 

Against UW-Stevens Point, the Bennies were led by senior outside hitter Emma Guest with eight kills on 21 attacks and a .286 hitting mark. She also had 10 digs and two service aces. First-year right side hitter Brooke Andries and junior setter Audrey Spolidoro both had four kills. Spolidoro added 14 assists and nine digs. First-year defensive specialist Ingrid Noha had a team-high 14 assists along with three assists.

In the game, UW-Stevens Point had a .358 (46K-8E-107A) to .027 (25K-22E-113A) hitting advantage over Saint Benedict. The Pointers also had a 41-to-21 edge in set assists as well as digs, 58-to-48. CSB put together a 7-to-4 margin in service aces while UW-SP had 13 total blocks.

Game Summary
In the opening set, the two teams battled through six tie scores before UW-Stevens Points had a 28-26 set win after hitting .273 with 16 kills on 44 attacks.  The Bennies, which had five kills on 12 attacks from Guest, hit .125 with 16 kills on 56 attacks. CSB also had four service aces, but UW-SP had five blocks. After kills by Paige Andries and Olivia Thompson, CSB had a 12-10 advantage. UW-SP responded with a 7-3 run for a 17-15 lead. With a kill by Guest, CSB drew even at 18.  A kill by Guest, her fifth of the set, helped CSB to a 22-21 lead. Down 24-22, the Bennies received a kill from B. Andries and Chaeli Haupert's second service ace to draw even at 24. The teams were tied at 25 and 26 before UW-Stevens Point won the final two points of the set to outlast the Bennies.     

UW-Stevens Point opened the second set with a 9-5 lead as they had six kills early.  With a 7-3 run, the Pointers built a 16-8 advantage. From there the Pointers had a 9-to-6 closing run for the 25-14 win. In earning the second set win and going up 2-0, UW-SP hit .452 with 15 kills on 31 attacks. The Bennies had just five kills on 28 attacks.

In the third set, UW-SP, which hit .387 with 15 kills on 31 attacks, jumped to a 5-3 lead. Then, with a 7-1 run, the Pointers extended the margin to 11-4.  CSB, which had five kills on 29 attacks, had a service ace from Thompson to cut the lead to 12-6. However, the momentum favored the Pointers who pushed their lead to 16-7. With a closing run of 9-to-5, UW-SP took the 25-12 decision for the set and game win.