ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - Following a home contest to open the 2026 season, the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team will begin a stretch of eight straight contests away from Claire Lynch Hall, as the Bennies (0-1) are set to play in the Grinnell/Central Tournament Friday-Saturday, Sept. 4-5.  

 

Saint Benedict will play two matches at Grinnell College Friday, Sept. 4, facing Simpson College at 5 p.m. and Grinnell (0-1) at 7 p.m. CSB will then head to Central College for a pair of contests Saturday, Sept. 5. The Bennies will open the day against Cornell at 11 a.m. before concluding the action-packed weekend with a date with the Dutch (0-1) at 1 p.m. 

 

Saint Ben's looks to pick up its first win of the young season after falling in straight sets to University of Northwestern Tuesday night, Sept. 1. Senior Kali Jones (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) topped the team with nine kills, narrowly missing out on a double-double performance as she collected 10 digs. Sophomore Ginny Schuler (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led the way with 17 assists, while first-year Kaelyn Wittwer (Delano, Minn./Delano) made an immediate impact for the Bennies. In her first collegiate match, Wittwer tallied a team-best 17 digs.  

 

CSB and Simpson (0-1) will meet for the 33rd time since 1993. The Bennies hold a commanding 25-7 edge in the series but have dropped the last two matchups. Most recently, the Storm edged out Saint Benedict in five sets Sept. 20, 2024. Three Bennies posted double-digit kills, as McKenna Moehrle totaled 15 kills, while Jones and now-senior Brooke Andries (Marshall, Minn./Marshall) each added 11. Audrey Spolidoro orchestrated the offense with 52 assists and completed the double-double performance with 22 digs. Chaeli Haupert led the defense with 28 digs, while a total of five Bennies posted double-digit digs. Spolidoro also anchored CSB at the net on defense, finishing with seven blocks. 

 

Saint Benedict will meet GC for only the second time. The two programs first met Sept. 15, 2012 with the Bennies earning a sweep. Sophie Stangl led the CSB offense with 17 kills on a .333 attack percentage. Taya Kockelman and Kathryn Gaydos were the masterminds behind the offense with 25 and 11 assists, respectively. Victoria Nass posted a team-leading 22 digs, while Stangl added a pair of blocks to her stat line.  

 

The Bennies will battle the Rams for the eighth time, holding a 7-1 lead in the series that began in 2005. Saint Ben's has come out on top in the last five meetings, most recently winning in four sets Sept. 13, 2025. Andries and now-sophomore Brooke Siegle (Norwood Young America, Minn./Waconia) paced the offense with 13 kills apiece. Now-junior Izzy Torve (Loretto, Minn./Orono) notched a career-best 34 assists as she helped guide a CSB offense that hit .224 in the contest. Jones directed the defense with 21 digs while adding 12 kills to complete the double-double.  

 

Saint Ben's will complete the weekend road trip by facing Central for the 17th time since 1994. The Dutch hold a slim 9-7 advantage in the series, but the Bennies took the most recent battle in straight sets Oct. 5, 2013. Lexi Rinde tallied a match-high 19 kills, doing so on a scorching .517 clip. Kockelman orchestrated the offense with 41 assists, while Lexi Alm topped the team with 13 digs and three aces.  

 

All four matches will be live streamed. For links to the live streams and live stats, click here. To access the tournament central page, click here.