ST. PAUL, Minn. – Led by Kali Jones, Mackenzie Knofczynski and Keira McManus, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team showed resilience on the road Wednesday night (Oct. 3), rallying from a 2-1 set deficit to pull off a 3-2 comeback victory over Macalester College at the Leonard Center in MIAC play.

Junior Kali Jones led the charge with a standout performance, notching her 29th career double-double with 12 kills and a career-best 25 digs. In the five-set (25-12, 20-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-11) victory marked CSB's second straight and improved the team to 10-3 overall and 2-1 in MIAC games.

The game opened in dominant fashion for the Bennies, who took the first set 25-12 behind a balanced attack. Jones, McManus, and Brooke Siegle each recorded four kills as Saint Ben's controlled the tempo early with 15 kills on 48 swings.

But Macalester (3-12, 0-3 MIAC) didn't go quietly. The Scots responded by winning the next two sets, both by a score of 25-20, using a 28-to-22 kill advantage during that stretch to swing momentum in their favor.

Saint Ben's regrouped in the fourth set. The Bennies tightened their defense and found their rhythm again offensively, taking the frame 25-18 with 11 kills on 35 attacks. The game was sent to a decisive fifth set—where CSB sealed the comeback with a 15-11 win, powered by nine kills and a relentless defensive effort.

Jones, who also had three service aces, wasn't the only standout. Knofczynski was dominant at the net with 11 kills on 23 attacks for a .348 hitting percentage and added six blocks. McManus continued to impress in her first season, matching her career high with 10 kills while hitting .250 and adding four blocks.

Defensively, senior libero Chaeli Haupert came up big with 22 digs—her third 20-plus dig performance this season. Meanwhile, junior Brooke Andries chipped in eight kills, and first-year Brooke Siegle had seven.

CSB also got strong production from its setting duo. Senior Izzy Torve dished out 24 assists along with nine digs and two service aces, while first-year Ginny Schuler added a career-high 22 assists, four digs, and an ace of her own.

Statistically, the Bennies held the upper hand in nearly every category: a 57-45 edge in kills, .176 to .087 hitting advantage, and leads in assists (52-42), aces (7-4), blocks (11-8), and digs (81-79).

With the win in hand, CSB now shifts focus to a tough test at the UW-River Falls Triangular on Saturday, where they'll take on host UW-River Falls at 1 p.m., followed by a showdown with No. 3-ranked UW-Oshkosh at 5 p.m. in the Don Page Arena.