ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – With momentum from five wins in six games, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (13-4, 4-1 MIAC) hits the road to face Saint Mary's (10-10, 3-2 MIAC) at 5 p.m., on Saturday, Oct.18 in Winona, Minn.

With a 13-4 overall record and 4-1 in conference play, the College of Saint Benedict, under the direction of veteran head coach Nicole Hess (285 wins at CSB - 349 career victories), stands in second place in the MIAC standings. With seven regular-season matches remaining—six of which are within the conference—the Bennies are poised for a critical run leading into the MIAC Playoffs scheduled for Nov. 11–15.

Riding Momentum into the Weekend
In winning two games on Oct. 10 and 11, the Bennies recorded a 3-2 victory at St. Scholastica before returning home for a 3-0 sweep of St. Catherine on Youth Day. Junior Kali Jones averaged 3.38 kills (27) and 3.63 digs (29) per set in the weekend sweep. Jones had two more double doubles in the wins and now has 31 in her career. In a 3-0 sweep of St. Catherine, she tied a season best with 15 kills and while recording 16 digs. Kiera McManus had a career-best 11 kills in the win over the Wildcats. She also had 12 kills and 13 digs in the five-set win over the Saints. Brooke Siegle matched her career high with 13 kills on an efficient .310 hitting percentage, adding a career-best 16 digs and two service aces as CSB rallied past St. Scholastica. On Oct. 3, they battled past Macalester in a thrilling five-set MIAC victory. A day later at the UW-River Falls Quad (Oct. 4), the Bennies blanked the host Falcons in straight sets before falling to No. 3-ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 3-0.  

Key Contributors Fueling CSB's Success
CSB's recent success has been fueled by contributions across the lineup:

• Junior Kali Jones ranks 8th in the MIAC in kills (2.85/set) and 7th in digs (4.00/set), with 25 service aces to her name this season. Her career totals: 727 kills, 788 digs, 31 double doubles (digs/kills) and 90 aces.
• Senior Chaeli Haupert, a senior defensive specialist, surpassed 1,000 career digs earlier this season and now has 1,134. She ranks 15th in MIAC for service aces (0.39/set) and has hit double-digit digs in 15 matches, including a season-high 23 vs. Luther.
• Sophomore Izzy Torve is fourth in the MIAC in service aces (0.48/set) and ninth in assists (5.39/set). She notched a career-best 34 assists vs. Cornell and owns four double-doubles this season.
• Senior Mackenzie Knofczynski, a senior middle hitter, ranks second in the MIAC in blocks (1.02/set) with 63 total blocks on the season. She's added 1.84 kills/set while hitting .223. Her career totals: 762 kills and 311 blocks.
• Junior McKenna Moehrle has contributed 59 kills and 39 blocks this year, bringing her career numbers to 352 kills and 111 blocks.
• First-year Keira McManus is making her mark early, averaging 1.77 kills/set with three double-digit kill matches—including a high of 11.
• Brooke Andries and Brooke Siegle continue to provide major contributions. Andries, a junior, has 102 kills this season (1.7/set), while Siegle—a first-year standout—has 105 kills (1.88/set) and 2.16 digs/set, with a pair of 13-kill matches and two double doubles (digs/kills).

 
Scouting the Opponents
Saint Mary's, coached by four-year head coach Amber Zitzow (39 career wins),  the Cardinals have a 10-10 overall record with a 3-2 conference record. In their most recent action, they recorded a 3-2 win over Macalester on Oct. 11 in St. Paul, Minn., after a 3-1 win at home against Hamline on Oct. 10. The two-game winning streak followed a two-game losing streak in which they lost to St. Scholastica, 3-2, and Concordia-Moorhead, 3-2.  The Cardinals average 11.1 kills per set, 1.8 blocks, 15.3 digs, and 1.8 service aces per set. Leading the way is Brenna Bruchert with 3.32 kills per set (262 total) and Kali Olson at 3.03 kills (239) per set.

Series History
In the all-time series, CSB owns a 28-11 record, including 12-6 at home with a 14-5 road record. CSB has won five straight in the series, including the last matchup, 3-0, on Nov. 6, 2024. The Bennies won the first-ever meeting between the schools by a 3-0 score on Sept. 24, 1993.