MOORHEAD, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (10-11, 6-3 MIAC) secured a 3-0 victory against Concordia-Moorhead (2-23, 2-8 MIAC) in MIAC play with sophomore middle blocker
McKenna Moehrle shining with 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
The Bennies won the game with set wins of 26-24, 25-19, and 25-17, marking their second consecutive win and seventh in their last nine matches. This victory keeps them in fifth place in the MIAC standings. CSB will next face Saint Mary's on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m., before concluding the regular season at home against St. Olaf on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
Moehrle's strong performance followed a career-best game where she recorded 18 kills and a .517 hitting mark against Carleton. She has achieved double-digit kills in 14 matches this season, accumulating 31 kills in her last two games with only five errors, showcasing an impressive .510 hitting percentage over that stretch.The sophomore has an averaged 4.43 kills per set with a team-high 34 points (4.86/set) during this period.
In addition to Moehrle, junior
Mackenzie Knofczynski contributed nine kills on 19 attacks, hitting .263 and adding three blocks to reach a season total of 74. Sophomore
Kali Jones recorded eight kills and ten digs, hitting .240, while senior setter
Audrey Spolidoro facilitated the offense with 38 assists, three kills, and seven digs.
Antonia Chowhan added six kills, and
Ingrid Noha contributed 12 digs and a service ace.
As a team, CSB hit .256 as a team with 46 kills on 125 attacks. In addition, the Bennies had 10 service aces with 48 digs and five total blocks. CSB has had 10 or more service aces over the past three games and seven times this season.
After trailing throughout the first set, CSB rallied for a 26-24 victory by recording 16 kills on 43 attacks (.209 hitting mark) with a 68 percent side-out rate (17-25). Concordia, which had 15 kills and a .250 hitting mark. battled the Bennies as the teams traded leads just twice with eight ties. CSB had three set points before ending the set at 26-24 for a 1-0 lead.
In set two, CSB used a .289 hitting mark with 16 kills and just three errors on 45 attacks to control the set. The Bennies opened up a 10-2 lead. However, a 7-3 run by the Cobbers cut the margin to 13-9. But CSB had consecutive points for a 15-9 edge. With a 7-4 run, the Bennies led, 22-13 before closing at 25-19.
In the third set, St. Ben's hit .270 with 14 kills on 37 attacks and just four errors to roll to a 25-17 win and sweep. In the set, CSB hit converted 12-of-18 sideouts as they had 42-of-62 for 68 percent throughout, leading to the sweep.
