ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Riding the momentum of a perfect 4-0 start, the (RV) College of Saint Benedict volleyball team heads east to compete in the UMass Boston Tournament from Sept. 5-6 in Boston, Mass.

After sweeping its home tournament in impressive fashion, CSB is off to its best start since 2013 and received votes in this week's AVCA/Taraflex Top 25 NCAA DIII Coaches Poll.
The Bennies open tournament play on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. CST against Emerson College (1-1)—a first-ever meeting between the two programs. Action continues on Saturday, with CSB facing Salem State (1-0) at 12:30 p.m. CST, followed by the tournament finale against host UMass Boston (0-4) at 5:30 p.m. CST. CSB will face Emerson and Salem State for the first time in school history while owning a 1-0 edge over UMass Boston. The Bennies defeated the Beacons, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-9) on Sept. 12, 2015 in Boston, Mass.

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Following their trip to Boston, CSB travels to the Coe Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sept. 13, before returning home to host Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Sept. 17.
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Dominant Start at Home
Led by 16th-year head coach Nicole Hess (275-141 at CSB; 339-273 overall), the Bennies made a strong early-season statement last weekend. After edging fellow (RV) Nebraska Wesleyan in a five-set thriller to open the tournament, CSB dropped just one set over its next three matches—sweeping Minnesota Morris and Crown College, and downing Luther College in four.

As a team, CSB displayed impressive balance and depth across all rotations, averaging:

• 12.1 kills/set
• 2.5 service aces/set
• 1.7 blocks/set
• 17.9 digs/set
• 11.4 assists/set

Individual Standouts & Milestones 

At the CSB Tourney, several Bennies made headlines with key performances and career milestones:

• Chaeli Haupert anchored the defense with 56 digs, pushing her career total to 933 with 1,000 in sight.
• Mackenzie Knofczynski was dominant at the net, finishing with 13 blocks (0.87/set) and averaging 2.33 kills/set while hitting .316. She now has 261 career blocks and 683 kills.
• Izzy Torve set a career-high in assists during the opener and totaled 90 assists (6.0/set), 12 service aces, and 44 digs, posting two double-doubles.
• Kali Jones led the offense with 37 kills (2.85/set) and added 48 digs, recording double-digit digs in three matches and notching two more double-doubles, bringing her career total to 27. She's closing in on two major milestones: 593 career kills and 596 digs.