SAINT JOSEPH, Minn. Juniors
Kali Jones (21 kills, 27 digs),
Brooke Andries (16 kills), and senior
Mackenzie Knofczynski (18 kills, 11 blocks) led the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team to a pair of victories on Friday, Aug. 29, as CSB opened its season with a strong showing at the CSB Tournament in Claire Lynch Hall.
The Bennies, now 2-0, will wrap up the two-day tournament on Saturday, Aug. 30, with matchups against Luther College at 1 p.m. and Crown College at 7 p.m.
Several players contributed to Friday's success:
Over the two matches, CSB averaged 11.5 kills, 2.3 blocks, 10.8 assists, and 15.5 digs per set.
Game 1 – CSB 3, (RV) Nebraska Wesleyan 2
In a thrilling season opener, Saint Benedict rallied from a 2-1 deficit to edge Nebraska Wesleyan in five sets (25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-13). The Bennies, which won the MIAC Tournament title and reached the NCAA DIII national tournament a year ago, edge NWU, which received votes in the first AVCA poll of the year.
Junior
Kali Jones led the way with her 23rd career double-double—13 kills and 15 digs—along with three blocks. Knofczynski was dominant at the net with 11 kills and a match-high eight blocks, notching her 25th career match with double-digit kills. Andries added 11 kills on 24 swings for an efficient .292 hitting percentage.
Torve recorded her first career double-double, finishing with a career-high 26 assists and 10 digs, along with two kills. Haupert added 13 digs—her 47th career match with 10+ digs.
CSB took the first set 25-22 behind 16 kills and a .245 hitting percentage. NWU responded by winning sets two and three. The Bennies bounced back with a dominant fourth set, then held off a late Nebraska Wesleyan rally in the fifth to secure the 15-13 win.
Game 2 – CSB 3, Minnesota Morris 0
CSB closed out the day with a commanding straight-set victory over Minnesota Morris (25-17, 25-15, 25-21), hitting .195 as a team with 40 total kills on 118 attacks.
Jones and
McKenna Moehrle paced the offense with eight kills each, while Knofczynski added seven kills, three service aces, and three blocks. Moehrle and McManus contributed three and two blocks, respectively. Torve added 19 assists and Schuler had 12, along with two service aces. Defensively, Jones and Haupert led with 12 and 11 digs.
The Bennies were in control throughout, posting 13 kills in each of the first two sets. In the final frame, they hit a match-best .250 with 14 kills on 36 attacks to seal the sweep.
