ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College volleyball team fell to visiting Saint Benedict, 25-21, 25-17, 25-16 in a MIAC match Friday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots are now 10-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play, while the Bennies improve to 3-10, 1-3 MIAC.

Macalester kept it close in the first set, leading early before Saint Benedict took a 17-14 edge. The Scots tied it up at 17-17 with a pair of kills by first year Gwen Wooten (Allen, Texas/Allen) and a service ace from junior Annika White (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy). But the Bennies scored the next three points and wrapped up the set on a 5-2 run to win, 25-21.

In each of the final two sets, Saint Ben's used key runs to swing the momentum towards the Bennies. Six straight points midway through the second set turned a one-point game into a 15-8 advantage. In the third set, Macalester pulled to within 13-11, only to have Saint Benedict tally the next four points en route to a 25-16 win.

The Scots registered 30 kills to the Bennies' 43 and hit .120 compared to .243 for CSB. Junior Eliza King (Novato, Calif./San Marin) led Macalester with 11 kills and added seven digs, while Wooten finished with seven kills. First year Nicole Norton (Brussels, Wis./Southern Door) delivered 25 assists and a team-high eight digs, while sophomore Anna Fritz (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View) had three total blocks. The Bennies' Gabby Heying led all players with 15 kills, with Mary Wenisch notching 18 digs.

The Scots continue MIAC play with a home match against Concordia on Saturday, Oct. 9. The match begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Leonard Center.

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