ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The (RV) College of Saint Benedict volleyball team is off to a fast start in 2025, running its record to 7-0, the program's best start since 2013 when CSB opened 11-0 and finished 27-4.

The Bennies' early-season dominance has earned national attention. After a perfect showing at the UMass Boston Tournament last weekend, CSB vaulted from 3 to 33 votes in the AVCA/Taraflex NCAA DIII National Poll
  Next Up: Road Test in Iowa
Saint Benedict will face a pair of regional foes on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Kohawk Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

• vs (RV) Coe College (6-1) – 11 a.m.
• vs Cornell College (3-3) – 1:30 p.m.
  🔗 [Live Stats | Live Video]

Following the Iowa doubleheader, the Bennies return home to Claire Lynch Hall to host UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

St. Benedict, which had won all four games at the CSB Tournament, won three straight at the UMass Boston Tourney, including a 3-0 sweep vs Emerson. The Bennies stayed dominant with back-to-back sweeps of Salem State and UMass Boston to close out the UMass Boston Tournament on Saturday. In total, CSB has now won 10 consecutive sets and recorded five straight-set victories this season.

The weekend wins also marked a coaching milestone, as head coach Nicole Hess notched her 275th career victory at CSB (339 overall). In addition, CSB has a league-best 72 service aces (10 more than the next closest MIAC team) or 3.0 per game.

MIAC Numbers
Saint Benedict ranks fourth in assists at 11.08 per set, hitting percentage with a .182 mark on 287 kills in 879 attacks. With 11.96 kills per set, CSB ranks fourth while its 2.17 blocks per set (52 total including  a league-best 16 block solos) ranks second in the MIAC. CSB has averaged 18.38 digs/set (441 total) for second in the MIAC. In addition, opponents have averaged just 8.71 kills per set with a .057 hitting percentage, reflective of the standout defense by the Bennies.

Serving Aces
In a three-set sweep against Salem State, the College of Saint Benedict had a program-best 18 service aces in three sets. The previous match high for service aces was 21 vs Macalester in 1998 but accomplished in five sets. Leading the way was Chaeli Haupert with six and Izzy Torve with five, both setting career best marks.

Player Spotlight
Mackenzie Knofczynski – Senior | Middle Blocker

• MIAC Rankings:
  • 3rd in hitting percentage: .340 (49 kills, 106 swings)
  • 2nd in blocks/set: 1.21 (MIAC-best 29 total blocks, 7 solo)
• Career Milestones:
  • 22 career double-digit kill matches
  • Career highs:
    • 15 kills vs Washington U (9/15/2023)
    • 9 blocks (twice) – incl. vs UMass Boston (9/6/2025)

Izzy Torve – Sophomore | Setter

• MIAC Rankings:
  • 6th in assists/set: 5.88 (141 total)
  • 2nd in service aces/set: 0.83 (20 total)
• Performance Notes:
  • 3 double-doubles (assists/digs) in 2025
  • Career highs:
    • 26 assists vs Nebraska-Wesleyan (8/29/2025)
    • 18 digs (twice) – vs Crown (8/30) & UMass Boston (9/6)

Chaeli Haupert – Senior | Defensive Specialist

• MIAC Rankings:
  • 4th in aces/set: 0.63 (15 total)
  • 12th in digs/set: 3.71 (89 total)
• Career Totals:
  • 966 digs, 112 aces
  • 28 double-digit dig matches, including 5 with 20+ digs
• Career Bests:
  • 6 service aces vs Salem State (9/6/2025)
  • 29 digs vs Trinity (TX) (8/31/2024)

Kali Jones – Junior | Outside Hitter

• MIAC Rankings:
  • 7th in kills/set: 2.77 (61 total)
• Career Milestones:
  • 618 career kills, 632 digs
  • 25 double-doubles (kills/digs)
  • 35 double-digit kill matches, 22 of them with 13+ kills
• Career Highs:
  • 20 kills vs Cortland (8/31/2024)
  • 22 digs vs Simpson (9/20/2024)

Brooke Andries – Junior | Outside Hitter

• 2025 Stats:
  • 1.90 kills/set (40 total), hitting .205
• Career Totals:
  • 386 kills, 81 blocks, 124 digs
• Notables:
  • 16 career matches with double-digit kills
  • Career-high 14 kills twice – incl. vs Coe (9/21/2024)

 McKenna Moehrle – Junior | Middle Blocker

• 2025 Stats:
  • 31 kills (1.41/set), 17 total blocks
• Career Totals:
  • 325 kills, 89 total blocks