Notables
-Houser recorded 10 blocks on the day
-Bounds had a career-high 12 kills vs. MLC
-CSS wins the first set in both matches, after not winning the first 10 opening sets this season
-CSS has swept Crown in 29 of 32 overall meetings
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team had its home and conference openers on Saturday at the Reif Gymnasium with an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) triangular. CSS fell in four sets in the first match to Martin Luther College, but responded by sweeping Crown College in the nightcap.
Martin Luther 3, CSS 1
The Saints opened with Martin Luther, a team they have beaten the last seven times they met. However, after CSS won their first opening set of the season, the Knights took the next three sets to win the match in four.
CSS, who was winless in its first 10 opening sets this season, came out of the gates strong thanks to a 9-2 run midway thru the set. Martin Luther got within four at 20-16, but the Saints won five of the next six points to take the set 25-17.
MLC got out front in the second set, but the Saints battled back and had a 16-14 advantage. Unfortunately, the Knights responded with a 6-1 run to go ahead 20-17. MLC then had two set points, but the Saints got kills from
Brooke Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) and
Emily Bounds (Hill City, Minn./Hill City HS) to tie it at 24-24. However, the Knights got a kill and then an error on the Saints gave MLC the set 26-24.
The third set was also tightly contested with the Saints again holding a 15-12 lead. Then, just like the second set, after a Martin Luther timeout, the Knights went on a 7-0 run to go up 19-15. St. Scholastica got close again at 23-22, but again MLC took the next two points to win the set 25-22.
The Knights (7-5, 2-0 UMAC) would hold off the Saints in the fourth set and win 25-18 to take the match.
Bounds had a career-high 12 kills to lead St. Scholastica.
Brooke Schermann (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) added 10 kills.
Taylor Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) had 20 digs, while both
Espi Austvold (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS) and
Kelsi Rippberger (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) had 19 assists.
CSS 3, Crown 0
After Crown fell in three close sets in the second match against MLC, the Saints ended the day with a three set win over the Storm (1-10, 0-3 UMAC) by scores of 25-21, 25-18 and 25-12.
CSS had a hitting percentage of .288 for the match, which was a season-high. Senior
Christaia Houser (Esko, Minn./Homeschool) had a big second match matching a season-high with 13 kills and five blocks.
Madissen Burns (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer HS) also matched a season-high with 10 kills. Austvold had 31 assists.
Up Next
The Saints (3-9, 1-1 UMAC) will have another conference triangular on Tuesday across the bridge when they face rival University of Wisconsin-Superior at 3 p.m. and Northland College at 5 p.m.