Notables
-The Saints move up to fourth in UMAC
-The Saints obtain their first true road win of the season
 -Rajala records double-digit kills in back-to-back matches for the first time in career

---

 
MANKATO, Minn. (csssaints.com) – After dropping the first set, the St. Scholastica volleyball team bested Bethany Lutheran College in the next three sets for a crucial four-set win on Saturday afternoon.  
 
How it Happened
Play opened up with a kill from Emily Bounds (Hill City, Minn./Hill City HS) to hand the Saints the first point of the match. Though, that would be the only time the Saints led for the entire first set. Both teams battled for points, but Bethany Lutheran (9-17, 7-8 UMAC) went on a 7-3 run late was ultimately rewarded with a 25-21 set one win.
 
The Vikings handed the Saints the first point of set two as well but managed to run up a 4-3 lead right after. A kill and an ace from Brooke Schermann (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) allowed St. Scholastica to steal the lead from the Vikings and put them ahead 9-6.  The Saints would maintain at least a three-point advantage for the rest of the set. Two kills late from Sofia Rajala (Deer River, Minn./Greenway HS) produced a set score of 25-16.
 
Set three consisted of much back-and-forth play. With a 10-10 score, CSS went on an 8-2 run to pull away from Bethany Lutheran. The Vikings were able to close the gap, but could not completely overcome the deficit as they fell to the Saints 25-21.        
 
St. Scholastica jumped out to a 3-1 lead to commence the fourth set. Down 7-6, the Saints went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. However, the Vikings would stay close behind. The teams swapped every other point for the last 10 points of the set. Eventually, the Saints ended the exchange 25-21; topped by one last kill from Schermann. 
 
Top Performers
Schermann tallied a team-high 14 kills and also recorded 15 digs. Rajala added 11 kills to the mix, while Taylor Thompson (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) gathered 17 digs. Ellie Greenwaldt (Raymond, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian School) had 21 assists on the day and Espi Austvold (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS) produced 20. 
 
Up Next
The Saints (9-17, 7-7 UMAC) will take on Crown College (3-23, 2-12 UMAC) in St. Bonifacius at 3 p.m. and North Central University (5-21, 1-13 UMAC) in Minneapolis at 7 p.m. Wednesday to finish regular season play.