SAINT PETER, Minn. – Saint Benedict accomplished what no other MIAC team has been able to do for over three years, stunning the top-seeded Gustavus volleyball team in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals with a 3-0 sweep to advance to Saturday's championship. The Gusties (20-10, 11-0 MIAC) will await Monday's NCAA Selection Show to determine their postseason fate in the national tournament.
A marathon of a first set, decided by a score of 32-30, sent momentum and energy in favor of the Bennies (14-11, 8-3 MIAC), who improved in every set, winning the second 25-21 and the third 25-17. Despite the sweep, the Gusties still out-hit the Bennies with 42 kills and an efficiency of .262, compared to a line of 40 and .229 for CSB. Nevertheless, impressive defensive play and dominant serving led Saint Benedict to victory at Gus Young Court.
It was business as usual for the experienced Gusties in set one, going up 13-8 over Saint Benedict thanks to a trio of kills from both
Macie Malchow (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and
Leah Berg (Jr., Kenyon, Minn.). A Bennie timeout quickly shifted the tides, though, as errors plagued the Gusties, allowing Saint Ben's to take their first lead of the set at 14-13 on five consecutive points. The two teams played to a tie score five more times before the Gusties took the lead at 20-18, maintaining the advantage until back-to-back kills from CSB's Kali Jones tied the score at 24 apiece. Saint Benedict played to set point five times, with the Gusties battling back to tie the score on each attempt, but a Jones kill and Gustie error ended what turned out to be a crucial set one, 32-30, in favor of the Bennies.
The Bennies' performance rolled over into set two, taking a 10-5 lead over Gustavus thanks to a pair of service aces and four kills, as well as a streak of Gustie errors. Kills from three different Gusties brought them within one, and a pair of quick kills out of the hands of Berg tied thing sup for the first time in set two, 14-14.
Sophia Deyak (So., Iowa City, Iowa) chipped in two of her own to give the home team their only lead of the second st at 17-16, but it didn't hold, as CSB closed things out with a 9-4 run, including four unanswered points to take a 2-0 lead over the Gusties with a 25-21 win.
The Bennies' hot streak was too much for the Gusties to overcome in the third set, as any hopes of the reverse sweep were dashed as Saint Ben's was able to maintain a lead of at least two after the first few serves. The Gusties never led and tied the score only once at 3-3, but a 10-4 run put the set and the match out of reach, as the Bennies claimed set three and the match, just the fourth sweep over the Gusties in their 30 matches this season.
Berg and
Lauren Klaith (5th, Rockford, Minn.) led the attack with 11 kills each. Malchow and Deyak each added eight to the team total, with Deyak hitting an impressive .500 and Malchow .467.
Kasie Tweet (5th, Adrian, Minn.) collected 28 assists, while
Maren Sundberg (Jr., Eagan, Minn.) had 10 digs to lead the Gustie defense. Kali Jones led the Bennie attack to victory with a match-high 14 kills, while CSB dominated the serve with nine aces, also taking advantage of eight service errors from the home team.
The Bennies will play St. Catherine (20-8, 9-2 MIAC) for a chance at the conference championship, the first in three years not claimed by the Gusties. A total of 41 teams will receive automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament for winning their conference postseason championship, which leaves 23 teams to be awarded at-large bids. The selection show will air at noon CST on NCAA.com.
