College of Saint Benedict Athletics

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team fell in four sets to University of Wisconsin-Stout Wednesday night, Sept. 18, falling with set scores 21-25, 25-28, 25-28, 25-22. With the loss, CSB dips to 6-4 on the season, while UW-Stout ups its record 5-3.  

 

Seniors Kali Jones (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) and Kate Stadum (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) led the offense with 14 kills apiece. Stadum's career-high in kills came on a .281 clip. Sophomore Karley Dunham (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) finished third on the team with 10 kills, doing so on a .286 attack percentage. Sophomore Ginny Schuler (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led the team in assists, totaling a career-best 26. Junior Izzy Torve (Loretto, Minn./Orono) followed with 19.  

 

On the defensive end, Jones posted a team-best 18 digs, recording her eighth double-double performance of the season. Sophomore Brooke Siegle (Norwood Young America, Minn./Waconia) and first-year Kaelyn Wittwer (Delano, Minn./Delano) followed with nine and eight digs, respectively. Stadum set a career-high with six blocks to lead the Bennies. Dunham followed with four rejections, while sophomore Sydney Elliott (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) added a pair.  

 

All tied at seven in the opening set, CSB took control with a 5-1 run. Stadum sparked the run with a kill before teaming up with Dunham on the ensuing point for a block. After a sideout for the Blue Devils, Schuler connected with Dunham for a kill and senior Brooke Andries (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) used the tape to her advantage for a kill. A UW-Stout attack error gave the home team a four-point cushion, 12-8.  

 

The Blue Devils battled back to get within one point, 20-19, but a miscue gave the Bennies a break. Jones tipped one over and in for a kill to make it 22-19, forcing the visitors to use a timeout. Out of the break, an attack error made it 23-19 and Jones dropped one down for a kill to cue set point, 24-19. Following two straight UW-Stout points, Dunham ended set one with a kill, using a set from Schuler to her advantage, 25-21.  

 

Down 12-9 in the second set, CSB rattled off four straight points to take a slim lead. After an attack error, Andries and Stadum tied the set at 12 with back-to-back kills. Dunham and Stadum sent a Blue Devils attack back down for a big block, pushing Saint Ben's ahead, 13-12.  

 

The visitors quickly regrouped and would take control the rest of the set, securing set two, 25-18.  

 

The Bennies snagged five points across six rallies to take a small lead in the third set nearing the halfway point. After back-to-back UW-Stout errors, Stadum downed a ball sent over early before pairing up with Dunham for another big rejection to make it 11-8. A Blue Devils kill got the visiting team a sideout, but Andries extended the lead back to three with a kill, 12-9.  

 

UW-Stout responded with a run of its own, going ahead 15-13 heading into a technical timeout. Out of the break, Elliott roped down a set from Schuler for a kill, and first-year Karlie Wollum (Canby, Minn./Canby) smashed one down to tie the set at 15. Torve dropped in an ace to but the Bennies in front, 16-15, but CSB was unable to retain momentum, as UW-Stout closed out the set on a 10-2 run to steal the swing set, 25-18.  

 

The Bennies looked to be responding in the fourth set, beginning with five straight points to go ahead 7-4. Jones punched one through the block for a kill to begin the streak, followed by a Wollum-Elliott stuff. Jones tooled the block on the ensuing point, and an attack error closed out the run. The Blue Devils once again answered quickly, stealing the next six points to go ahead, 10-7.  

 

Trailing 14-10, first-year Aubrey Marketon (Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) connected with Dunham for a kill to notch a necessary sideout for the Bennies. Stadum and Dunham formed a wall to send a UW-Stout attack crashing down for a block, and Stadum stayed hot, as she pushed one through the block for a kill to bring the home team within one, 14-13. Andries buried a set from Schuler for a kill to equalize the score at 14. Continuing her strong game, Stadum saved a ball while crashing into the scorer's table, later coming up the kill to put CSB ahead, 20-19. UW-Stout won the next three points to go ahead, 22-20, forcing head coach Nicole Hess to call timeout. The stoppage in play seemed to work for Saint Benedict, as Stadum posted two straight kills to neutralize the score at 22. The Bennies were unable to get any closer to forcing a fifth set, as UW-Stout took the next three points to secure the win, 25-22.  

 

Saint Ben's returns to the road, as it heads to No. 4 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Friday night, Sept. 18. Action is set for 7 p.m. inside Sonnentag Event Center.