WINONA, Minn. – The College of St. Scholastica volleyball team opened the 2026 season in convincing fashion Thursday, sweeping Luther College 3-0 at Saint Mary's Gymnasium in Winona.
The Saints (1-0) controlled the match from the outset, taking the opening set 25-13 before following with a 25-18 victory in the second. St. Scholastica then closed out the sweep with its most dominant set of the night, rolling to a 25-8 win in the third.
CSS finished with 35 kills while holding Luther to 20 and limited the Norse to a -.027 hitting percentage for the match. The Saints were especially sharp in the third set, hitting .267 while Luther finished the frame at -.139.
Abby Zins (Chisago Lakes, MN/Chisago Lakes High School), Ava Decker (Rochester, MN/Century HS) and Lilli Rechichi (Ely, MN/Ely Memorial HS) each recorded seven kills to lead the St. Scholastica attack. Rechichi hit .300, while Bailey Husbands (Baudette, MN/Lake of the Woods HS) added three kills on seven attempts for a team-best .429 hitting percentage and also handed out 22 assists.
The Saints were equally effective from the service line, finishing with 12 aces. Bryn Ziegler (Hutchinson, MN/Hutchinson HS) led the way with five aces, while Decker and Husbands each added two.
Defensively, Cassidy Lustig (Ashland, WI/Ashland HS) totaled a team-high 15 digs, while Decker and Lauren Kahl (Ridgeland, WI/Prairie Farm HS) each recorded 12. St. Scholastica finished with 63 digs as a team and held Luther to just two service aces.
