Notables
-Belden recorded a team-high 12 kills
-First Homecoming Saturday loss for the Saints in six matches
-The loss marks the seventh-straight loss against CSB for the Saints
-The 495 people in attendance was the highest recorded attendance at a match featuring the two teams
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica volleyball team came up short this Saturday during Homecoming weekend at the Reif Gymnasium, falling 3-0 to a tough team in that of the Blazers from the College of Saint Benedict.
The match, which had an attendance of 495 total people, was a highly anticipated one featuring two perennial championship contenders in their respective conferences. St. Ben's, from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conferece (MIAC), was looking to crack above .500 as they came into the match at an even record of 10-10.
The first set started off sloppy, as both teams were having attack and service errors in the early-going. The Saints and the Blazers were exchanging point for point until CSB found themselves up 12-10, which is where they blew the set open.
The ensuing 11 points were won mostly by Saint Benedict, as it put together an 8-3 run to climb out in front with a commanding 20-13 lead.
Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) strung together a couple kills, but it wouldn't be enough to spark a comeback as the Blazers closed out set one with a 25-22 victory.
The second set started much differently for Saint Benedict as it jumped out to an early 7-1 lead, thanks in part to three kills from Lauren Mathews. CSS didn't give in, however, as
Noelle Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) scored back-to-back points for the Saints to help fuel a strong comeback and tie the game at 15-15. Once again the two teams exchanged points until the scoreboard read 19-18 in favor of CSB. Much like the beginning of the set, Saint Benedict turned it up a notch and went on a 6-1 run to end set two and take a 2-0 advantage over St. Scholastica.
The third and final set proved to be the best. The Saints held a slight 6-5 lead early on over the Blazers, but once again Saint Benedict got on a run and pulled ahead at 9-6. That three-point lead would be the biggest lead of the set, as St. Scholastica fought back and put together a 6-1 run to regain the lead at 12-10. The teams tied at the 13-point mark, and from there to 20-20 it was a point-for-point affair as neither team could get a bigger advantage than a one-point lead.
It began to look like déjà vu for CSS as they jumped out to a 24-21 lead and had multiple chances to put the set away, but much like the woes against Morris a few weeks prior the Saints couldn't close it out. In fact, CSB scored five straight points to take the set themselves. The last-ditch effort, CSB's Briana Schmiesing recorded three kills of the final five points to lead the way.
Top Performers
The Saints were led offensively by Belden and Elvehjem, who recorded 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Emily Kessler (Grand Rapids, Minn./Greenway HS (Itasca CC)) recorded 21 assists and seven digs.
Christaia Houser (Esko, Minn./Homeschool) had a good night at the net, earning four blocks in the loss.
Saint Benedict was led by Lauren Mathews, who put together a great all-around performance with nine kills, two aces, and six blocks. Megan Pekarek had a game-high 38 assists to go along with four blocks and six digs.
Up Next
The Saints (9-13) will be back at the Reif for their next match, which features the Finlandia Lions coming to town. The match will be Wednesday night with the first serve scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
