Volleyball 10/9/02 -- St. Benedict 3, Augsburg 0

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (10/9/02) -- Alicia Pohlmann (Sr., Grey Eagle, Minn./Long Prairie-Grey Eagle HS) had 11 kills, 15 digs and three blocks (one solo), leading the College of St. Benedict in a three-game sweep of host Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball match Wednesday night at Si Melby Hall.

As a team, St. Benedict hit a strong .333 to claim its 11th win in its last 14 matches, improving to 11-8 overall and 6-0 in MIAC play. Augsburg drops to 2-14 overall and 1-5 in MIAC play, dropping its fourth match in a row.

Pohlmann had just one attack error in hiting a strong .455 in the match. Kristin Wolford (Jr., Avon, Minn./Albany HS) also had a strong hitting match, hitting .417 with 12 kills and two blocks. Joquel Rudningen (Jr., Sunburg, Minn./K-M-S HS) hit .467 in accumulating eight kills, with three digs and four service aces. Heidi Anderson (Jr., South St. Paul, Minn.) had six kills and three blocks.

St. Benedict claimed 13 service aces in the match, including five from Claire Loesch (So., Kimball, Minn./Cathedral HS). St. Benedict also had 10 team blocks, including three (one solo) from Ellen Link (Jr., Renville, Minn./BDRSH HS). The Blazers took advantage of another poor hitting night for the Auggies, who hit just .038 with 235 attack errors.

The Blazers dominated the first game, hitting .370 as a team and committing just two attack errors. Pohlmann had five kills and Wolford had four in the first game.

St. Benedict jumped out to a 19-9 advantage in the second game, but Augsburg rallied to cut the lead to 24-20 behind two service aces each from Linnea Evans (Fr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) and Kirstie Zitzow (Fr., Dover, Minn./Dover-Eyota HS). But two kills in the final three points from Rudningen claimed the match for the Blazers. Rudningen had five kills in the game.

Augsburg scored the first six points of the third game, with two service aces by Anna Piermantier (Jr., Afton, Minn./Stillwater HS). Augsburg built a 15-10 lead, but the Blazers rallied back. Trailing 17-13, the Blazers went on a 9-0 raally to take a 22-17 lead, an advantage they would not relinquish. Wolford had four kills in the scoring run and five kills in the game. The Blazers hit .368 in the third game with 17 kills and only three errors.

Lindsay Novak (Fr., Red Wing, Minn.) had 20 assists and eight digs for the Blazers in the match, while Beth Schiller (Fr., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) had 15 assists.

Augsburg was paced by Lisa Miller (Sr., Hanover, Minn./Buffalo HS), who had 11 kills and three blocks (all solo). Kristy Larson (So., Pine Island, Minn.) had five kill and a block, Evans had five kills and a team-high 12 digs to go with three service aces, and Denise Foster (Sr., Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) had five kills, all in the third game. Piermantier had 16 assists and three service aces.

Both teams return to MIAC action on Friday (10/11) at 7:30 p.m, with Augsburg hosting its final home match of the season against St. Catherine, and St. Benedict playing at Carleton.