DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team will host a triangular at the Reif Gymnasium on Saturday as Martin Luther College and Hamline University travel to Duluth.
Where:
Reif Gymnasium – Duluth, Minn.
When:
Saturday
CSS vs. Martin Luther – 1 p.m.
Martin Luther vs. Hamline – 3 p.m.
CSS vs. Hamline – 5 p.m.
Live Video: http://www.csssaints.com/ssn
Live Stats: http://saintscholastica.statcrew.com/wncaav/2016/current/live.html
Social Media:
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www.twitter.com/SaintsVball
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 7-11, 3-1 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints defeated Bridge Rival, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, in four sets on Wednesday at the Reif … The Saints showed balance offensively as
Nikki Kienzle (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS) led the way with 14 kills, followed by
Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) and
Noelle Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) each with 13 kills … It was only the second time this season that the Saints had three players record at least 10 kills …
Emily Kessler (Grand Rapids, Minn./Greenway HS (Itasca CC)) had 23 assists and
Espi Austvold (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS) added 21 assists … For the second straight match, the Saints had a season-high in kills with 53 on the night
Elvehjem Rolling: Senior right-side
Noelle Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) has recorded at least 10 kills in seven of the last nine matches … She only had double-figure kill numbers once in the first nine matches of the year … Also during the last eight matches, she has had a hitting percentage of over .400 five times … She ranks third in the UMAC with a .259 hitting percentage
Double-Doubles: Emily Kessler (Grand Rapids, Minn./Greenway HS (Itasca CC)) and
Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) have each recorded double-doubles in each of the last two matches … Belden leads the team this season five doubles-doubles … Kessler has four double-doubles and
Espi Austvold (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS) has a pair of double-doubles.
Milestones: Defensive specialist
Alex Barsody (Onamia, Minn./Onamia HS) went over 1,000 career digs in last weekend's action in Eau Claire … Belden also went over 500 career kills last weekend …
Nikki Kienzle (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS) is four blocks shy of 100 for her career.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. Northwestern.......................................... 64 points (8 First Place Votes)
2. UW-Superior........................................... 53 points
3. St. Scholastica...................................... 50 points (1 First Place Vote)
4. Martin Luther........................................... 42 points
5. Minnesota Morris................................... 41 points
6. North Central.......................................... 25 points
7. Bethany Lutheran.................................. 23 points
8. Northland................................................. 15 points
9. Crown....................................................... 11 points
Upcoming Opponents
Martin Luther Knights
Record: 9-12, 4-0 UMAC
The Knights will enter Saturday's match unbeaten in conference play after sweeping North Central University (Minn.) on Wednesday … Martin Luther has swept three of its first four conference opponents, but all four wins have come against teams currently ranked fifth or lower in the league … The Knights have historically been a good blocking team and they rank second in the conference, averaging 1.84 blocks/set … Martin Luther ranks third in the league with a .160 hitting percentage and a 11.1 kills per set … Jade St. Germaine leads the squad with 255 kills, followed by Kira Grev with 220 kills … St. Germaine leads all UMAC players with 56 kills in conference play only.
Hamline Pipers
Record: 6-7, 1-4 MIAC
The Pipers have lost four straight matches and will face Macalester College on Friday before traveling up to Duluth on Saturday … Hamline started out the season 5-1 … Julia Zolnosky leads the team with 109 kills … Cass Bittle is next up with 97 kills … Setter Morgen Coleman ranks third in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) with 8.16 assists per set … Hamline ranks at the bottom of the MIAC in kills/set (10.45) and reception errors (58) and are second-to-last in hitting percentage (.128).
Series Histories:
-CSS leads Martin Luther 52-32
-CSS is tied with Hamline 8-8
Last Meetings: The Saints swept Martin Luther at the UMAC Preview Tournament in Morris on September 16 … The last time the Knights played at the Reif, the Saints won in four sets in the first round of last year's UMAC Tournament … St. Scholastica defeated Hamline 3-1 on opening day of 2015 season … This will be Hamline's first-ever trip to Duluth.
Looking Ahead: The Saints are at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls next Wednesday. Action is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
