ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Oh, what a night! A winning night. A fun night.

With four players recording double-digit kills, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (8-4, 1-0 MIAC) rolled to a 3-1 win (25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 25-16) over Augsburg (7-5, 0-1 MIAC) as the two teams opened MIAC play at Claire Lynch Hall.

It was a special night as the CSB volleyball team participated in the Inauguration Week of President Brian Bruess of CSB and SJU, who was a guest coach on the evening when CSB gave out rally towels, water bottles and hosted various festivities celebrating the Inauguration set for Sept. 22. (click here for Inauguration information/schedule)

"We started fast in set one and set the tone early," said CSB head volleyball coach Nicole Hess, whose team travels to St. Catherine for a game at 5 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 23 in St. Paul, Minn. "The crowd was amazing, and it was great having President (Brian) Bruess on the bench with us! We came out a little flat in set three but were able to rebound and finish the night strong," she said.

In the victory, the Bennies leaned on balance and outstanding performances up and down the lineup. For the second time in three games, CSB had four players record double-digit kills and another recorded eight. In total, the Bennies hit .245 with 56 kills on 163 attacks and 16 errors.

Three players had 12 kills, including first-year outside hitter Kali Jones with 12 kills on 35 attacks and 18 digs for her fourth career double double. She now has a team-high 125 kills. Senior middle blocker Paige Andries registered a season-high 12 kills on 28 attacks and hit .321. Sophomore middle Mackenzie Knofczynski had 12 kills on 23 attacks and a team-high .435 hitting mark to go with five block assists. She is hitting .307 on the season with 112 kills and now has 50 total team blocks, which leads the MIAC and ranks in the top 20 nationally.  And, first-year right side hitter Brooke Andries added 10 kills on 20 attacks and hit .400 while also adding three block assists.

Directing the offense was junior setter Audrey Spolidoro, who had 44 set assists, and nine digs. She now has 419 set assists for the season and pushed her total to 1,955 for her career. Defensive specialist Mackenzie McDonald had a team-high 21 digs and, for the 11^th time in 12 games, recorded double-digit digs. She now has a team-best 219 on the season, which ranks her in the top five in the MIAC.

 "When we are able to be in system our offense is tough to defend," said Hess about the balance which defines this 2023 squad. "Our passers did an excellent job of getting Audrey (Spolidoro) the ball and she did a great job of running the offense. It is exciting to have so many options and when teams figure out one thing, we are able to counter with other routes and choices," said Hess.

Overall Hess was pleased with the support for the Bennies team on a special night.

"We'd also like to give a huge shout out to CSB/SJU and our community for making tonight's match such a great environment to compete in. There is nothing better than playing in Claire Lynch Hall and we hope to see everyone back in a week for more Bennie Volleyball," she said.

Over the past two games, in the past two years with Augsburg, the Bennies have won six of seven sets with both played at Claire Lynch Hall. CSB recorded its second straight win over Augsburg and now has 35 wins in 42 games with the Auggies, including a 17-1 home record.

Game Summary
In the opening set, CSB came out firing and hit a match-high .304 with 18 kills on 46 attacks in rolling to a 25-20 win. A pair of kills from B. Andries and Jones provided the Bennies with a 9-5 lead. Emma Guest, who had eight kills and eight digs, had four kills in the opening set, as she delivered a kill for an 11-6 lead. The Auggies cut lead to 15-13 with a 4-2 run but CSB had the answer with kills from Knofczynski and P. Andries to reclaim a 17-13 advantage. After the Auggies, which hit .250 with 13 kills on 40 attacks, closed within, 17-16, the Bennies responded with a closing run of 8-4 to take a 1-0 set lead. 

In the second set, CSB dominated from the start. They jumped out to an 8-3 advantage, and, after the Auggies closed to 11-9 with a 6-3 run, the Bennies took control. CSB used an 8-2 run to grab a 19-11 lead. In the set, CSB had 12 kills on 37 attacks and hit .216 and recorded 10 of 14 sideouts. When Knofczynski had a kill at 22-13, the Bennies were able to close at 25-14 for a 2-0 set margin.   

Augsburg rebounded in the third set by hitting .433 with 15 kills on 30 attacks as they led early and moved on for a 25-19 win. Augsburg led, 7-1, before CSB cut the lead to 16-13. But the momentum was with the Auggies as they took the set and cut CSB's lead to 2-1.

CSB finished off the match with a 25-16 win in the third set. After opening a 4-0 advantage, CSB took a 14-8 lead to force an Augsburg time out. After Knofczynski's 11^th kill of the game, and another two points later, CSB had a 24-16 lead and closed it at 25-16 for the win.