ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- The Augsburg College volleyball team claimed a dramatic five-set victory over the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday evening, completing its first-ever perfect Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season in program history. With the win, Augsburg clinches the outright MIAC regular-season championship, marking its third MIAC title in program history and first outright.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg def. Saint Benedict 3-2 (19-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 15-13)
LOCATION: Claire Lynch Hall, St. Joseph, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 17-6 overall (11-0 MIAC), Saint Benedict 12-12 overall (5-5 MIAC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
• In a game of momentum swings, Augsburg was able to pull together when it counted and scored the thrilling five-set victory over Saint Benedict in the team's final MIAC regular-season match. Augsburg has now earned three MIAC titles in the last four seasons under Head Coach Jane Becker.
• The Auggies were led by Courtney Lemke (SR, Brownton, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake HS) and DeeDee Maier (SR, Middleton, Wis.), who both posted double-doubles on the night. Lemke finished the night with 31 assists and 13 digs, while Maier posted 10 kills and 13 digs.
• Taylor Linn (JR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) posted a team-high 13 kills on 35 attempts for a .314 hitting percentage, while adding seven digs. 
• The Auggie defense was led by Macey Terhell (SO, Osceola, Wis.), who posted a team-best 27 digs, while adding two assists and an ace.
• Jaelyn Arndt (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) finished with 10 kills and teammed up with Katie Noble (FY, Cannon Falls, Minn.) to post five blocks each.
• For the match, Augsburg hit .104, while the Blazers recorded a .136 hitting percentage. The Auggies picked up 94 team digs, while Saint Benedict recorded 100 team digs. The big difference in the match came down to serving and blocking. Augsburg was able to record 11 team blocks, compared to just five for the Blazers. The Auggies only had four service errors on the night, while the Blazers had 15.

FOR THE FOES
• The Blazers finished with three players recording double-digit kills, led by 15 from Lauren Matthews.
• Megan Pekarek led all players with 50 assists, while Haley LaValle led all players with 29 digs.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg returns to action on Friday and Saturday (10/28-29), traveling to San Antonio, Texas to take part in four matches in the Trinity University Invitational.
• Saint Benedict returns to action on Saturday (10/29) when the Blazers travel to Moorhead, Minn. to take on Concordia College in their final regular-season match.