ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Momentum is on the Bennies' side as the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (15-4, 6-1 MIAC) gears up for one of its most important matches of the season. Winners of seven of their last eight, CSB will host first-place (RV) St. Olaf (17-6, 6-0 MIAC) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, inside Claire Lynch Hall.

The game — held on Family Night and featuring a "Red Out" theme — carries major conference implications. With the Bennies sitting second in the MIAC at 6-1 and the Oles leading at 6-0, Friday's contest could go a long way in shaping the playoff picture as the regular season winds down. In addition, the CSB SAAC will host a "Bennie Game Day" to raise funds for the local food shelf in St. Joseph, Minn. As part of the "Red Out," fans are encouraged to wear red in support of the Bennies.

CSB peaking as MIAC Tourney approaching
Head coach Nicole Hess, who has amassed 287 wins at CSB and 351 overall in her career, has her team peaking as the postseason nears. The Bennies have just five regular-season matches left — four of them within MIAC play — making every point count as they push toward the conference playoffs beginning Nov. 11.

Their latest victory came on Oct. 22, when CSB earned a hard-fought 3-1 road win at Augsburg. Junior Kali Jones led the charge with 16 kills, 11 digs, and four blocks, following up a standout showing on Oct. 18 at Saint Mary's, where she posted a season-best 17 kills, .483 hitting percentage, and 17 digs. That dominant weekend earned her both MIAC Offensive Player of the Week and The House/St. Cloud Orthopedics CSB Athlete of the Week honors.

Those performances capped off a strong stretch that began earlier in October. On Oct. 10–11, the Bennies edged St. Scholastica in five sets before sweeping St. Catherine on Youth Day. Jones was stellar again, averaging 3.38 kills and 3.63 digs per set while recording back-to-back double-doubles — bringing her career total to 32. Against St. Catherine, she tied her season high with 15 kills and 16 digs.

First-year hitter Keira McManus notched a career-best 11 kills in that win, adding 12 kills and 13 digs the night before against the Saints. Fellow first-year Brooke Siegle matched her career high with 13 kills, added a personal-best 16 digs, and served two aces in the St. Scholastica match.

Earlier in the month, CSB earned another five-set MIAC win over Macalester and swept UW-River Falls at the Falcons' home tournament. The Bennies' lone setback in their past seven contests came against nationally ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Balanced Attack Fuels Bennies' Surge
The Bennies' success has been built on depth and balance across the lineup:

• Kali Jones remains a force, ranking 5th in the MIAC in kills (3.00/set), 6th in points (3.63/set), 7th in digs (3.94/set), and 9th in aces (0.43/set). She has 13 double-digit kill matches this season and 33 career double-doubles.
• Chaeli Haupert, the senior defensive anchor, surpassed 1,000 career digs earlier this year and now sits at 1,168. She's posted double-digit digs in 17 matches, including a season-high 23, and ranks 5th in the MIAC with 4.16 digs per set (291 total).
• Izzy Torve, a sophomore setter, ranks 4th in service aces (0.49/set) and 9th in assists (5.34/set). She's tallied five double-doubles, highlighted by a career-best 34 assists vs. Cornell.
• Senior Mackenzie Knofczynski anchors the net, ranking 2nd in the MIAC in blocks (1.00/set – 70 total). She's added 1.84 kills per set (129 total) and a .224 hitting percentage, while closing in on 800 career kills (777) and has 318 career blocks.
• Junior McKenna Moehrle adds consistent production with 68 kills and 45 blocks this year (career totals: 362 kills, 117 blocks).
• First-year standouts Keira McManus (121 kills) and Brooke Siegle (114 kills, 125 digs) continue to energize the lineup, each logging multiple double-doubles. Setter Ginny Schuler contributes 4.15 assists and 1.59 digs per set.
• Junior Brooke Andries remains a steady outside option with 115 kills this season and 461 career kills.

Scouting the Oles
Under second-year head coach Alicia Wood, St. Olaf enters the matchup at 17-6 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC, sitting atop the conference standings. In the recent AVCA DIII Poll, St. Olaf received votes (58). The Oles rank third in the MIAC in hitting percentage (.190) and second in both kills (12.58/set) and assists (11.71/set).

Individually, Maren Miller leads the MIAC with a .397 hitting percentage, totaling 159 kills (2.21/set) and ranking sixth in blocks (0.82/set – 59 total). Lilah Van Scoyoc paces the team offensively with 206 kills (2.71/set).
 
Series History
Saint Benedict holds a strong edge in the all-time series, leading 47-36-2 since 1993. At home, CSB is 21-5 against St. Olaf, compared to 13-15-1 on the road. The teams last met on Nov. 9, 2024, when CSB earned a thrilling 3-2 victory. The rivalry dates back to Nov. 1, 1975, when Saint Ben's claimed a 2-1 win in their inaugural matchup.

Looking Ahead
After Friday's showdown, CSB will step out of conference play to face Northwestern (Minn.) on the road at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, in St. Paul.