ST. PETER, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team gave No. 21-ranked Gustavus Adolphus a battle on Friday night, but ultimately fell in four sets (25-23, 12-25, 14-25, 21-25) in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opener.

Coming off a tough loss to No. 10 UW-Eau Claire earlier in the week, the Bennies (8-3 overall, 0-1 MIAC) showed grit against their second consecutive nationally ranked opponent. They opened strong, taking the first set with a late surge before the Gusties (13-2, 1-0 MIAC) flexed their offensive firepower to take control of the next three.

The Bennies set the tone early in set one, clawing back from a 16-12 deficit to tie things at 19. A key kill from first-year Brooke Siegle gave CSB a narrow 21-20 lead, followed by a series of big plays at the net. First-year Keira McManus and junior Kali Jones each contributed clutch kills as CSB closed out the set 25-23, using 12 kills and timely momentum shifts to stun the Gusties early.

But Gustavus, showing why they're ranked No. 21 nationally, came storming back. They raced out to a 7-2 lead in the second set and never looked back, taking it 25-12 behind a .286 hitting percentage and a balanced attack.

Set three followed a similar script, as the Gusties used six early kills on 10 attacks to jump to a 16-7 lead. Their offensive efficiency continued, finishing the set with a .348 hitting mark and cruising to a 25-14 win.

In the fourth, CSB battled the Gusties. After falling behind 6-3, the Bennies fought back with a 9-4 run to take a 13-11 lead. Jones and McManus kept the attack alive, but the Gusties responded, pulling ahead late and sealing the match with a 25-20 set win.

By the Numbers
Gustavus held a statistical edge, finishing with 53 kills to CSB's 31, and outpacing them in assists (45-28), digs (65-49), blocks (5-4), and service aces (7-5).
McManus led the Bennies with eight kills, followed by Jones and Siegle with six apiece. Jones also added 14 digs in a strong all-around performance. First-year setter Ginny Schuler dished out 17 assists, while senior Chaeli Haupert contributed 12 digs on defense.

What's Next
Saint Benedict returns home Saturday night (Sept. 27) to face MIAC rival Hamline (5-5, 1-0 MIAC) at 7 p.m. in Claire Lynch Hall in the Bennies' home MIAC opener.