SAINT PETER, Minn. – Sophomore outside hitter
Kali Jones recorded a double double of 16 kills and 11 digs to lead the No. 4 seeded College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (14-11) to its sixth straight win and a sweep of top-seeded (RV) Gustavus Adolphus (20-10) in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Semifinals on Thursday (Nov. 14).
The victory propels St. Benedict into the MIAC Championship game and the opportunity to earn a berth in the NCAA DIII Tournament field with a win. The Bennies will face No. 2 seed St. Catherine which upended No. 3 Bethel, 3-2, in the other MIAC semifinal.
Tickets for the MIAC Championship ar available by clicking on this
ticketing link. Seating at the Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn., is limited so CSB fans are urged to purchase tickets ASAP.
CSB head coach
Nicole Hess was impressed with her team's ability to stay composed as they built momentum after a marathon 32-30 opening set win and then added set wins of 25-21 and 25-17 to upset the top-ranked Gusties.
"I am really proud of our composure tonight. Gustavus is a talented team and we knew we would have to stay in the moment and take it one point at a time," said Hess, whose Bennies team defeated a Gustavus squad that not only was receiving votes in the AVCA national poll but had gone through the conference season with a perfect 11-0 record and had won three straight MIAC Playoff Championships.
As a result, the Bennies have reached the MIAC Playoff Championship for the first time since 2018 when Gustavus defeated CSB, 3-2. The Bennies last won the playoff championship in 2017 with a win over then No. 1 seeded St. Thomas.
"We are excited to have another practice and get another opportunity to play on Saturday," added Hess of St. Ben's which improved to 23-20 all-time in the MIAC playoffs and is now 4-2 all-time in playoff match ups against the Gusties. However, this is the first playoffs win over the Gusties since 2014 when the Bennies were seeded No. 3 and defeated the No. 6 Gusties, 3-0. CSB is now 23-17 all-time vs. GAC.
Jones, who had her 15
th double double of the year and 23
rd in her career, led the outstanding team effort with 16 kills in 45 attacks and a .244 hitting mark. Named honorable mention All-MIAC on Wednesday, she also had a team-high 11 digs, a block and a service ace.
Sophomore middle blocker
McKenna Moehrle, who was named All-MIAC First Team in her first year with the CSB program, hit a team-high .571 with nine kills in 14 attacks with just one error. Both sophomore
Brooke Andries and junior
Mackenzie Knofczynski, named honorable mention All-MIAC, had six kills as CSB had 43 kills on 118 attacks for a .229 hitting mark.
The Bennies also had 45 digs, 35 assists and nine service aces, including three by
Ingrid Noha. Senior setter
Audrey Spolidoro, who was named to her third straight All-MAIC team this week, directed the offense with 33 assists, two kills, two service aces and six digs.
Game Summary
In a battle in the opening set, Saint Benedict rallied to win a marathon with Gustavus, 32-30, as Jones had eight kills on 19 attacks. Overall, CSB, which trailed 13-8 and 24-22, hit .208 with 16 kills on 48 attacks. Gustavus hit .264 with 17 kills on 53 attacks. GAC had a 3-0 run to jump to a 13-8 advantage with nine kills on 19 attacks and a .474 hitting mark. CSB responded with a 7-1 run to take the 15-14 lead against the Gusties, including a run of five straight points. With a 6-3 run, GAC took a 21-19 lead after Lauren Klaith converted a kill. Down 24-22, the Bennies scored two straight points for a tie. Then, the teams had five ties before the Bennies pulled out the win. In the set win, CSB had a 74 percent sideout rate, converting 23-of-31. In fact, CSB had 49-of-70 sideouts throughout the night for 70 percent.
In set two the Bennies continued the momentum, recording a 25-21 victory for a 2-0 lead as the Bennies hit .229 (11 kills/35 attacks) and used three aces to earn the win. CSB had a 61 percent sideout rate on 13-of-21 conversions. Early on Moehrle had a pair of kills and Noha's service ace – CSB's fourth of the night – gave CSB a 10-5 advantage. With a 5-1 run, the Gusties pulled within, 11-10. The Bennies answered with three straight points for a 14-10 margin. Two kills from Leah Berg helped the Gusties to a 7-2 run and a lead at 17-16. But the Bennies had the response behind the hitting of Knofczynski, Andries and Jones. Jones had a kill and a service ace for a 23-21 lead before the Bennies closed the set at 25-21.
In the final set, CSB dominated from the start, jumping to an 8-4 lead, and building a 15-10 lead off a kill from Knofczynski. With a 7-2 run, the Bennies, which hit .257 with 13 kills on 35 attacks, built a 22-12 advantage. CSB closed out the set and match at 25-17 on Andries's sixth kill of the game.
