ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The College of Saint Benedict will welcome University of Northwestern for the 2026 season opener Tuesday, Sept. 1. The match, which features two teams that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, is slated to begin at 7 p.m. inside Claire Lynch Hall. 

 

The 2026 campaign will be the 17th under the direction of Nicole Hess. Over the last 16 seasons, Hess has led her squad to a 293-148 overall record and a 119-46 mark in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play. In 2025, Hess directed the Bennies to a 21-7 record, the most wins in a season since 2019, and the program's second consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship. Saint Benedict made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the 10th under Hess' guidance.  

 

The Bennies return two MIAC honorees from a season ago in seniors Kali Jones (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) and Brooke Andries (Marshall, Minn./Marshall). Jones was named All-MIAC and went on to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-Region and All-American Honorable Mention status. Andries was named to the MIAC All-Playoff Team after guiding CSB to the title. 

 

The Saint Benedict roster features 16 new faces, composed of 14 first-years and two transfers. First-years Kaelyn Wittwer (Delano, Minn./Delano), Tessa Magnan (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), Addison Barbo (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake), Katie Wagener (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Preparatory Academy), Karlie Wollum (Canby, Minn./Canby), Finley Polipnick (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), Lexie Rehman (Orono, Minn./Mound Westonka), Peyton Grande (Dayton, Minn./Providence Academy), Aubrey Marketon (Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice), Adeline Schroht (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna), Stella Lambaere (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice), Kyra Belleson (Champlin Park, Minn./Champlin Park), Julia Claussen (Benson, Minn./Benson) and Bree Swanson (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) will make their collegiate debuts. Sophomores Karley Dunham (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) and Marissa Reed (Big Lake, Minn./Big Lake) each transferred to CSB after spending their first collegiate season at Division II institutions. Dunham spent her first year at Bemidji State University, while Reed came from Jamestown University.  

 

CSB returns four hitters from the 2025 campaign that totaled over 100 kills. Jones led the way with 278, an average of 2.70 per set. Sophomore Keira McManus (Sioux Falls, S.D./Bishop O'Gorman) followed with 216, averaging 2.10 kills per set. Andries ranked fourth with 182 kills, while sophomore Brooke Siegle (Norwood Young America, Minn./Waconia) rounded out the top five with 119 kills.  

 

The Bennies offense also returns its top two setters in junior Izzy Torve (Loretto, Minn./Orono) and sophomore Ginny Schuler (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove). Torve tallied a team-high 546 assists last season, averaging 5.20 per set. Schular made the most of her first year, as she finished second with 412 assists, an average of 4.29 per set. Saint Ben's brings back its two best servers, as Jones powered the team from the service line with 50 aces, averaging .49 per set. Torve closely followed with 49, good for an average of 0.47 aces per set. 

 

Defensively, Jones is the leading returner in digs, as she finished second on the team a season ago with 393, averaging 3.82 per set. Torve and Schuler were third and fourth with 255 and 163, respectively. McManus is the top Bennie returning in blocks, as she tallied 70 rejections in her first-year season. Andries followed with 41 blocks, while Jones totaled 36 stuffs. 

 

CSB and UNW, which is receiving votes in the first AVCA Poll of the season, will meet on the court for the 27th time dating back to 2007. The series stands deadlocked at 13 wins apiece with Northwestern claiming the most recent meeting in four sets Oct. 29, 2025. Jones led the offense with 14 kills on a .233 clip and two aces. Schuler and Torve orchestrated the offense with 25 and 18 assists, respectively. Chaeli Haupert led the defense with 15 digs, followed by 11 from then-junior Ingrid Noha (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial). Mackenzie Knofczynski directed the net defense, as she finished with five blocks. 

 

The match will be live streamed, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.