Blazers Cap Winning Streak at 10

10/05/2007

The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (5-1 MIAC, 13-5) traveled to St. Paul, Minn. to participate in the MIAC/IIAC Border Battle at Hamline University. In their 8 p.m. match, the Blazers were defeated 3-2 by the Loras College Duhawks. The game scores were 30-24, 30-20, 20-30, 27-30, and 15-11. Before CSB dropped a tough five-game match to Loras, it beat the University of Dubuque Spartans 3-0 with game scores of 30-22, 30-27, and 30-24. The win against the Spartans in the 4 p.m. match gave the Blazers their tenth straight victory. The last time a CSB team won ten matches in a row was in 2005 when they advanced to the Central Region semifinals.

Regarding the 3-2 loss to the Duhawks, head coach Michelle Blaeser recognized Loras as a, "solid team with a quick offense that they ran very well." The Duhawks jumped out to an early lead as they picked up wins in the first two games. The Blazers responded by earning victories in the next two games, including a 30-20 win in the third game. Blaeser noticed that the deficit had created a, "great challenge and brought us a new level." She continued by admiring her team for making the difficult changes and succeeding in those modifications. Unfortunately for CSB, Loras had the slight advantage in the end and edged out the Blazers in the final points of the fifth game. In the 8 p.m. match, the Blazers were led by first-year middle blockers Kayli Schumacher (East Grand Forks, Minn./Sacred Heart HS) and Calleigh Brown (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS), both of whom recorded 15 kills in the match. Schumacher finished with just one attacking error and a .500 hitting percentage. Brown contributed defensively with six blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Emma Jaynes (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS) recorded a double-double of 14 kills and 19 digs.

Earlier in the day, CSB defeated Dubuque in its first match of the tournament. The Blazers were led to victory by first-year middle blocker Laurel Heggernes (Mora, Minn./Mora HS), who finished the match with 10 kills while recording just a single error on her way to a .360 hitting percentage. Heggernes was also one of three Blazers to tally four block in the match. CSB finished with 11 team blocks. The Blazers had set a goal of three blocks per game prior to the match; they exceeded the goal by two on their way to a three-game sweep. Sophomore libero Lindsey Grauman (St. Paul, Minn. / Visitation HS) contributed 19 digs in the effort.

The Blazers are next in action tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 6) in day two of the Border Battle. At 11 a.m., CSB will take on Wartburg College and will face off against Cornell College at 3 p.m.

Border Battle | Volleyball | CSB Sports

Peter Banick, CSB Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant

Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098