Notables
-Matches played at the University of Northwestern
-CSS has now won seven straight season openers
-First-ever meeting vs. Westminster
-Jansen is 40 assists shy from 1,000 for her career
ST. PAUL (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team won its season opener against Westminster College (Mo.), but fell in the nightcap to Augsburg College to finish Friday at the University of Northwestern Labor Day Tournament 1-1.
CSS 3, Westminster 1
The Saints rallied after dropping the opening set to defeat the Blue Jays 3-1 to win their seventh straight season opener.
CSS held an early lead in the opening set until Westminster went on a 7-1 run midway thru to take a four-point lead. The Saints got within one at 18-17, but the Blue Jays closed the set by scoring seven of the next nine points to win 25-19.
The second set went back-and-forth until the Saints closed it out with a 6-1 run to even the match by a score of 25-19.
St. Scholastica held a slight edge for most of the third set. The Saints held a 24-20 lead, but the Blue Jays recorded three straight points to make it 24-23. Fortunately, the next Westminster serve resulted in an error, which gave the Saints a 25-23 set win.
The Saints scored the first five points of the fourth set, but Westminster quickly got back in it. The set remained tight until it was the Saints again finishing strong recording four of the last five points to take the match 25-21.
Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) led the way with 11 kills.
Brooke Schermann (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) added seven kills in her first collegiate match.
Emily Kessler (Grand Rapids, Minn./Greenway HS (Itasca CC)) had 18 assists and
Alex Barsody (Onamia, Minn./Onamia HS) had a team-high 18 digs.
Augsburg 3, CSS 1
The Saints got off to great start against the Auggies, but Augsburg took control after that set to hand CSS the loss to end the day at Northwestern.
Much like their opening match with Westminster, the Saints finished the first set strong as they turned a 20-19 deficit into a 25-22 set victory.
Brooke Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) had a pair of kills to end the set.
Nikki Kienzle (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS) had four kills in the set.
Augsburg jumped out to a 14-8 lead in the second set, but the Saints battled back to cut the score to 16-15. Unfortunately, the Auggies regained control to take the second set 25-20.
Noelle Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) had five of the team's 14 kills in the set.
The third set was all Augsburg as it never trailed to win 25-13. The Auggies then scored the first four points of the fourth set and ultimately had a 12-3 lead. However, the Saints kept fighting and cut the margin to 22-18, but the Auggies took the set and the match 25-18.
N. Elvehjem had 10 kills to pace the Saints. Belden and Schermann each added nine kills. Barsody recorded 34 digs and Kessler had 17 assists.
Emily Jansen (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle HS) added 15 assists.
Up Next
The Saints conclude play at the University of Northwestern Labor Day Tournament tomorrow when it faces Coe College (Iowa) at 9 a.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Stout at 11 a.m.
