ST. PAUL, MINN. – Emma Guest and Kali Jones both recorded double doubles to lead the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (9-4, 2-0 MIAC) to a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 28-26, 25-19) victory over St Catherine (7-4, 1-1 MIAC) in road MIAC play on Saturday (Sept. 23).

With the victory, the Bennies moved into a three-way tie at the top of the MIAC with a 2-0 record. The Bennies, which stand 9-4 overall, will now return to Claire Lynch Hall to host three straight home games against Saint Mary's on Sept. 29; College of St. Scholastica on Sept. 30; and Bethel on Oct. 4.

Jones tied her career-best (Simpson, Sept. 8) with 19 kills while totaling 13 digs for her fifth career double double. She has recorded double doubles in three straight games and has eight double-digit kills, including five straight, in her first year at CSB. Guest, who had her third double double of the season and 14th of her career, had 16 kills and 19 digs while hitting .250.

For the second straight game and the third time in four games, CSB had three or more players with double-digit kills as first-year right side hitter Brooke Andries had 10 kills on 25 attacks and hit .240.  CSB's balance was evident in that six players recorded five or more kills.

CSB head volleyball coach Nicole Hess, who had her 249^th win at CSB, was pleased with the effort and battle of the Bennies, which won for a second straight time.

"St. Kate's is a very good team; and it was a back-and-forth match," said Hess. "Coming back in set three after being down late shows the grit that this team plays with," she said.

After opening with a 25-20 win in the first set, CSB lost set two (20-25) and trailed 22-18 in the third set. Facing a possible 2-1 set deficit, the Bennies rallied to tie the set at 23-23 and won, 28-26. Then, CSB closed it out with a 25-19 set four win.

CSB also had a stellar effort from junior setter, Audrey Spolidoro, who had a season-best six kills on 14 attacks and a .357 hitting mark to go with 49 set assists, two block assists and six digs. With the 49 set assists, she has surpassed 2,000 for her career. Mackenzie McDonald had a team-high 20 digs and now has double-digit digs in 12-of-13 games this year and 20 or more five times.

The Bennies hit .194 for the game with 64 kills on 180 attacks. They also had 52 set assists, 83 digs, five total blocks and three service aces.

Game Summary
In the opening set, CSB took a quick 2-1 lead after a kill by B. Andries. After Andries' third kill and one by both Guest and Jones, CSB had a 13-10 advantage. After a kill plus a service ace by Spolidoro, CSB had a 21-17 lead.  CSB, which hit .191 with 13 kills on 47 attacks was led by B. Andries with six kills and Emma Guest with four in the 25-19 win.

In the second set, St. Catherine jumped to a 10-4 lead and extended the advantage to 16-8. CSB hit just .093 with 13 kills on 43 attacks, while SCU hit had a .216 mark with 14 kills on 37 attacks as they tied the game at 1-1 in sets.

In the third set, CSB trailed early as St. Catherine built a 13-9 lead. Then SCU had a 22-18 margin late but the Bennies answered with a 5-1 run to draw even at 23. After trailing 26-25, Guest had a kill for a tie and a second kill for a 27-26 lead before closing it on an error by SCU. The Bennies had 18 kills on 43 attacks and hit .209 while St. Kate's had 14 kills on 39 attacks for a .179 mark, but the Bennies had some crucial plays late to take the 2-1 lead in the game.

In the final set, CSB had an early 4-3 lead and built a 13-10 lead after a Jones' kill. After SCU pulled within, 17-16, the Bennies closed on an 8-to-3 run for the 25-19 set win and the game. While St. Kate's had just eight kills on 44 attacks (.091), CSB had their most kills (20) and best hitting mark (.272).