ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Emma Guest and Audrey Spolidoro recorded double doubles to lead the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (11-4, 4-0 MIAC) to a fourth consecutive win in MIAC play with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-22) decision over the College of St. Scholastica (2-13, 0-3 MIAC) on Saturday (Sept. 30) at Claire Lynch Hall.

With the victory, CSB sits in first place in the MIAC at 4-0 as the Bennies improved to 3-1 in home games. Saint Benedict, which has won five-of-six games, will conclude a three-game homestand against Bethel on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.

Senior outside hitter Emma Guest had another big game for the Bennies with a game-high 17 kills (second most this season) on 44 attacks and a .273 hitting mark. She also had 12 digs and a season-high five service aces, which was one short of her career-best (six, vs. Sewanee, 9/9/2022). Guest, who has 32 kills (4.57/set) on 68 attacks and a .368 hitting mark in the two wins at home this weekend, now has 15 career double-doubles.

Junior setter Audrey Spolidoro now has 29 career double-doubles after recording 47 set assists and 17 digs. For the 14^th time in 15 games, senior Mackenzie McDonald had double-digit digs with a team-high 22 as she has six games this year with 20 or more digs. Sophomore middle blocker Mackenzie Knofczynski had 13 kills on 29 attacks with a .276 hitting mark while recording 3.5 blocks. First-year Brooke Andries added 10 kills while Olivia Thompson had eight kills and 10 digs and Paige Andries had seven kills and hit .375.

CSB head coach Nicole Hess was pleased with her team's effort, which included three straight sets wins after falling to St. Scholastica, 25-22, in the opening set.

"A lot of a grind; that's the MIAC right there, (you) can't look at records and have to be ready to play. I think we served aggressive and had a good serving routine," said Hess, whose team had a season-best 14 service aces.

"I think we had some uncharacteristic errors at times. But, overall, I was really happy with our grit as we grinded it out to get the win," she said.

Overall, CSB was had a solid hitting mark of .205 with 57 kills on 161 attacks and 24 errors. The Bennies held margins in kills, 57-to-41; digs, 79-to-70; set assists, 53-to-40; and total blocks, 9-to-4.   

Game Summary -
In the opening set, CSB, which hit just .091 with 11 kills on 44 attacks and seven errors, led 3-0 and 8-3 before the Saints rallied. St. Scholastica had five straight points to draw even at 8-8. CSB grabbed a 15-13 lead with a block by Knofczynski and Kali Jones. But the momentum changed to the visitors as, after an 8-1 run, the Saints took a 23-18 lead and finished off the set at 25-22. CSS outhit CSB, .227 (14K, 4E, 46) to .091 (11K, 7E, 44A).   

The Bennies responded in the second set by recording the best hitting mark of the game in earning a 25-18 win. The Bennies recorded 17 kills on 35 attacks with four errors for a .371 mark. After falling behind 9-6 in the second set, CSB found some rhythm. With a B. Andries kill and ace from Guest, CSB had a 5-0 run to grab a 13-10 lead and pushed the margin out to 17-11. Later, P. Andries and Guest closed the set with kills.

In set three, CSB jumped out to a 4-1 lead and moved the edge to 9-4 when Knofczynski finished a kill in the middle. Libby Burns had two straight service successes and CSB led, 11-4. The Bennies pushed the lead out to 18-8 after a 6-0 run, which included another ace by Guest - her fourth of the game - and a kill by Thompson. Later Thompson's service ace closed the set for a 25-14 win. CSB had 12 kills on 27 attacks for a .310 hitting mark.

In set four, CSB opened up a 5-2 lead after kills by Knofczynski, Guest and Thompson. Later, the Bennies, which hit .132 with 17 kills on 53 attacks, built a 15-4 lead. St. Scholastica responded with an 8-3 run to cut into the lead at 18-13. A kill from Thompson helped CSB to a 20-16 lead. Once again, the Saints closed the deficit and drew within 22-21 before St. Ben's scored three of the last four points to seal the 25-22 victory.