ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St. Catherine University volleyball team fell to the College of Saint Benedict in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-16) on Saturday afternoon at the Butler Center in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action.
With the loss, the Wildcats move to 4-14 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The Wildcats battled throughout the opening set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. After trailing 9-5, St. Catherine rallied with four consecutive points to even the score at 9-9. The teams continued to exchange points before the Wildcats took a 16-15 advantage. Saint Benedict responded late in the set to secure a 25-20 victory.
St. Catherine came out strong in the second set, building an early 8-4 lead behind kills from Maddie Newton and a service ace from Alexa Carlstrom. The Wildcats maintained their advantage through the early stages, leading 12-9 before the Bennies tied the set at 12-12. Saint Benedict eventually pulled ahead, but St. Catherine continued to battle, fighting off three set points before falling 25-21.
In the third set, the Wildcats kept things close early, tying the score at 10-10 following consecutive kills from Quinlynn Parish and Addison Vandereide. Saint Benedict responded with a run to create separation and closed out the match with a 25-16 victory.
Newton led the Wildcats offensively with seven kills, adding 10 digs and a service ace. Parish delivered an efficient performance with six kills on 11 attempts for a team-best .455 hitting percentage, while also recording a solo block.
Alivia Hanover and Vandereide each contributed six kills, with Vandereide adding six digs. Maneeje Mostaghimi anchored the defensive effort with 10 digs and a service ace.
Addison Preuss dished out a team-high 12 assists, while Jalyn Wolle added nine assists and five digs. Emma Nordeen and Parish each recorded a solo block for the Wildcats.
As a team, St. Catherine finished with 31 kills, 39 digs, 25 assists and three service aces.
St. Kate's will host the College of St. Scholastica on Wednesday, October 14 with a 7 pm start time.
