College of Saint Benedict Athletics

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Playing its second five-set match in as many days, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team fell at Hamline University behind set scores of 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 13-25, 15-12, Saturday evening, Sept. 26. The loss drops the Bennies to 6-7 overall, 0-2 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, while Hamline snaps a seven-game losing skid to move to 3-10 overall (1-1 MIAC).  

 

Saint Benedict finished the match with 48 kills on a .172 clip, while HU notched the advantage with 60 kills on a .214 showing. CSB registered the edge in aces (10-5) and blocks (11-3), but was stymied in assists (57-44) and digs (72-58). 

 

Senior Kali Jones (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) led the team with 15 kills. Sophomore Karley Dunham (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) had a strong showing as she tallied 10 kills on a .308 attack percentage. Seniors Brooke Andries (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) and Kate Stadum (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) each added seven kills.  

 

With 21 assists, sophomore Ginny Schuler (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led the Bennies. Junior Izzy Torve (Loretto, Minn./Orono) followed with 16 helpers. Stadum's three aces were a team-high, while Torve, Jones, and senior Libby Burns (Watertown, Minn./Watertown) finished with two aces apiece.  

 

Defensively, Jones paced the team with 14 digs, her 10th double-double performance of the season. Stadum followed with nine, matching her career-high. Schuler chipped in eight digs to round out the top three. Dunham led the net defense with seven blocks, followed by five from Andries, tying her career-best. Sophomore Sydney Elliott (Saint Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) added four rejections.  

 

After dropping set one, 25-21, Saint Ben's had to fight back to take set two. A slow start saw CSB go down early, 3-1, prompting a timeout from head coach Nicole Hess. Hess used her second timeout with the Bennies trailing 11-5, trying to spark something.  

 

The break worked, as CSB took six of the next seven points to get back into the set. Five straight Pipers miscues made the home team use a timeout, and Jones followed with an ace to cut the gap to one, 12-11. After a sideout, Wollum and Elliott teamed up for a block, and another attack error by HU leveled the score at 13 apiece.  

 

Trailing 22-20 late in the set, Stadum roped down back-to-back kills after a Hamline service error to put Saint Benedict in front, 23-22, as Hamline called its final timeout of the set. The break did not stop the Bennies, as Burns added an ace and Stadum stayed hot, as she tooled the block with a kill to secure the second set comeback, 25-22.  

 

The Bennies responded in the fourth set after dropping set three, 25-22. Saint Ben's utilized a 10-1 run to take full control of the set, beginning with a Pipers service error. Jones aced the home team and first-year Karlie Wollum (Canby, Minn./Canby) hammered one down for a kill on the ensuing point. Back-to-back attack errors plagued HU before it could get a siedout with a kill. A bad serve gave the Bennies the ball back immediately, putting Burns at the service line with a seven-point lead, 13-6. Torve connected with Wollum for a kill to cue a Pipers timeout. The stoppage in action did not slow down CSB, as Burns placed an ace which was followed by an attack error. The Pipers were unable to handle the next Burns serve, as Dunham made them pay with a big swing, putting Saint Benedict up 17-6. 

 

The Bennies closed out the set with three of the last four points, coasting to the win. Jones and Elliott paired up for a block to push set point, and a Pipers swing landed past the lines to secure the fourth set for the visitors, 25-13.  

 

Momentum seemed to carry for the Bennies to begin the decisive fifth set. After a service error, Jones dropped in a kill, followed by one from Andries. Dunham and Andries rejected a Pipers attack to make it 4-0 early, forcing HU to burn a quick timeout.  

 

Hamline found its way back into the set, making it a one-score game shortly after. Kills from Jones and Wollym sandwiched a bad set by the Pipers, extending CSB's advantage back to four, 9-5. The home team responded, though, stealing the next six points to go in front, 11-9, forcing Saint Benedict called both of its timeouts in the run.  

 

The Bennies were never able to get back in in the lead, falling 15-12 in the final set of the night. 

 

Saint Benedict returns to action Friday, Oct. 2, as the Bennies will host Macalester College. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Claire Lynch Hall.