DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team returns to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action on Saturday when it hosts conference Co-leader University of Northwestern.
 
Where:
Reif Gymnasium (Burns Wellness Commons) – Duluth, Minn.
 
When:
Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
Live Video/Stats: http://www.csssaints.com/ssn
 
Social Media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/css.saints
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SaintsVball
Instagram: www.instagram.com/csssaintsvball
 
St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 13-11, 3-2 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: The Saints suffered another five-set defeat to the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday night in St. Joseph … For the second time in eight days, CSS trailed by two sets only to come back and force a fifth set … However, the Blazers broke an 11-11 tie in that set, scoring four of the next five points to take the match … Kortney Morrin (Grantsburg, Wis./Grantsburg HS (Northern State)) had 22 kills to pace the Saints … Emily Jansen (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle HS) had a career-high 29 assists … Danielle Benusa (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) led the team with 25 digs.
 
Blackout: The CSS volleyball team is encouraging fans to wear black to Saturday's contest … The first 75 student who show up will also receive a free #SaintsNation black t-shirt.
 
Five-Set Struggles: The Saints have lost eight straight matches and are 0-5 this season in which the contest went to a fifth-and-deciding set … The last five-set victory for the Saints was on October 30, 2013 against UW-Superior.
 
Where They Stand: Conference play resumed on Wednesday with the University of Northwestern and the University of Minnesota Morris remaining unbeaten … UW-Superior dropped to 4-2 and have the same number of league losses as the Saints … However, the Yellowjackets own the tiebreaker … Martin Luther College sits fifth with a 3-3 record … Teams have either two or three conference matches remaining.
 
Approaching Milestones: Senior Danielle Benusa (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) is 13 digs shy of becoming the sixth Saint in program history to record at least 1,300 digs in a career … Senior Kortney Morrin (Grantsburg, Wis./Grantsburg HS (Northern State)) is 21 kills shy of climbing into the top five in program history in career kills.

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Upcoming Opponents
Northwestern Eagles
Record: 21-8, 5-0 UMAC
The Eagles will enter Saturday's match winners in 15 of their last 16 matches … The lone defeat came at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday … Northwestern swept UW-Superior on Wednesday … This will be Northwestern's farthest trip of the season as its previous longest was to Eau Claire last weekend … Sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Peterson does it all for the Eagles as she ranks in the top three of the league in kills (350), digs (474) and service aces (39) … Junior middle hitter Shanay Gonder leads the conference in hitting percentage (.294) and total blocks (105) … The Eagles lead the conference in hitting percentage (.232), service aces (175) and blocks per set (2.17).
 
Series History: Northwestern leads 50-43-1
 
Last Meeting: The Eagles defeated the Saints earlier this season in four sets at the UMAC Preview Tournament … Northwestern has won nine straight in the series, which is the longest such streak either team has had in the series

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Looking Ahead: The Saints travel to Northland College on Wednesday, October 28.