Blazers Stay Tough, Tommies Win the Final

11/03/2007

The College of Saint Benedict volleyball team (8-3 MIAC, 21-10 overall) was defeated by St. Thomas 3-0 in tonight's MIAC playoff final. The game scores of the match were 32-30, 30-24, and 30-28. The Tommies, currently ranked No. 13 in the country, came into the match with a unblemished MIAC record and concluded the contest in the same fashion. Despite the length of the match, the Blazers held their own against the UST team with only four losses all season.

The first game was one of true championship magnitude. CSB and St. Thomas battled back and forth the entire match. The Tommies jumped out early only to meet great resistance from the Blazers. CSB mounted a quick comeback to grab a short-lived advantage. This trend repeated itself multiple times in the first game alone. It was so tight that it could not be decided in the regulation. The game ended when St. Thomas finally edged out the Blazers by two points and secured the first game by a 32-30 score. UST used the small amount of momentum CSB had allowed to snag the second game from the Blazers by six points, 30-24. The third game was essentially a repeat of the first: back and forth, back and forth. The Tommies gained ground then the Blazers and it went on. Unfortunately, UST ended up just one step ahead of the Blazers and squeaked away with another two-point game victory.

The Blazers were led by their first-year middle blocker Laurel Heggernes (Mora, Minn./Mora High School) and Calleigh Brown (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo High School). Heggernes had a team-high 13 kills. Brown trailed her closely with 10 kills with a .500 hitting percentage. She also added seven blocks on the defensive side. Head coach Michelle Blaeser said that, "Calleigh Brown had a great night, she had one of her best matches of the season." Sophomore Emma Jaynes (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing High School) had a team-high 17 digs in an effort to thwart the Tommie attack.

With the championship win, St. Thomas earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Blazers await the word on their postseason status. CSB should find out if they received a berth in the tournament within the next two days.

Stats | 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