CSB Volleyball travels to face three opponents at the Falcon Invite Sept. 6-7

09/05/2024

By: Dan Genzler, Athletic Media Relations Director

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (1-3) will continue its early-season nonconference play at the Falcon Invite, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on September 6-7.

After a challenging Trinity Fall Classic, where CSB went 1-3, the Bennies will open the Falcon Invite against Simpson College (3-1) at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 6. On the second day of the tournament (September 7), CSB will face Minnesota Morris (0-3) at 9 a.m. and the host UW-River Falls (1-3) at 1 p.m.

At the Trinity Fall Classic on Aug. 30-31, St. Ben's faced four teams. The Bennies secured a 3-2 victory over SUNY Cortland, which is receiving votes in the AVCA DIII poll, but also suffered narrow losses to Texas Lutheran (3-2) and No. 5 Trinity (3-1), and a 3-0 defeat to 25th-ranked East Texas Baptist.

St. Ben's – National and MIAC Highlights
Senior setter Audrey Spolidoro, who has achieved two double-doubles this season and 38 in her career, ranks 17th nationally and first in the MIAC with 10.29 assists per set (175 total). Sophomore outside hitter Kali Jones, with two double-doubles this season bringing her career total to 16, is fifth in the MIAC with 3.00 kills per set (51 total) and third in points (58.5, 82nd nationally). Mackenzie Knofczynski is fifth in the MIAC with 0.82 blocks per set.

As a team, CSB ranks 26th nationally with 197 total blocks, the highest in the MIAC. The Bennies are also fourth in the MIAC with 247 total digs and second with 37 service aces. In kills per set, CSB is fifth in the MIAC with 11.94 (114 total), and third with 203 total kills, ranking 33rd nationally. The team also ranks fifth in blocks per set (1.47) and total blocks (25.0) in the MIAC.

Chaeli Haupert leads the team with 10 service aces (0.59 per set), ranking sixth in the MIAC. Haupert also leads CSB in digs with 3.88 per set, followed by Jones with 2.65 per set.

Matchups at Falcon Invite – Key Information
CSB has a 25-5 all-time record against Simpson College, having won eight straight and nine of the last 10 encounters. The teams first met on September 18, 1993, with CSB securing a 3-0 win. Simpson is currently 3-1 this season, with notable wins over Saint Mary's (Minn.) and Rose-Hulman, and a loss to Wisconsin-Platteville. Head Coach Kekailoa Palea is in his fourth season, holding a 33-54 record. When the teams play Friday, Simpson will be led by right side hitter Emmy Seiler with 41 kills (2.73 per set), while sophomore Emily Williams has 34 kills (2.27 per set), and junior setter Morgan DenBeste averages 4.87 assists per set.

Against Minnesota Morris, CSB holds a 16-3 all-time advantage, including a six-game winning streak. In their most recent match on October 14, 2023, CSB won 3-0. The Cougars are 0-3 this season with losses to the University of Dubuque, St. Norbert, and Concordia University. Led by seventh-year head coach Joe Sussenguth, UMM's Mary Cate Ziembiec and Anna Molstad each have 22 kills, while Sydney Peterson has 51 assists.

CSB has a 9-3 series lead against UW-River Falls, including a 3-0 win on October 14, 2023. The Bennies are 3-2 in matches played at UW-River Falls and have an 8-2 record in the last 10 meetings. The Falcons, led by third-year head coach Dipen Patel, are 1-3 this season with a win over Pomona-Pitzer and losses to Whittier College, No. 15 La Verne, and No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Lauren Noth leads the team with 3.13 kills per set on 50 total kills, and Ada Schlenker contributes 2.57 kills per set.

Spolidoro Earns Third Career MIAC Specialist of the Week Honor
Audrey Spolidoro was named the MIAC Volleyball Specialist of the Week on September 3. The senior from Cottage Grove, Minn., received this recognition for her outstanding performance at the Trinity Fall Classic, where she recorded two double-doubles and averaged 10.29 assists per set. This is Spolidoro's third MIAC Specialist of the Week award, having previously been honored on September 18, 2023, and October 2, 2023. At the Trinity Fall Classic, she totaled 175 assists (10.29 per set), 35 digs, nine block assists, eight service aces, and seven kills. Spolidoro, a two-time All-MIAC honoree and AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region in 2023-24, has accumulated 2,640 career assists, ranking eighth all-time at Saint Benedict, along with 165 career kills, 621 attacks, 69 service aces, 82 total blocks, 787 digs, and 275.5 points.

Season to Date - Game Recaps

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