Saints Spilt in Season Kickoff

NSO-NEWS RELEASE

Volleyball Splits Season-Opening Action

CLAREMONT, Calif. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team began its season on Friday, by sweeping Chapman University (Calif.) in the first match of the day, but fell to 19th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in five sets to end the day’s action.

CSS 3, Chapman 0
The Saints opened the 2014 season with a sweep of Chapman University (Calif.). CSS won by scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-18.

Junior Kortney Morrin (Grantsburg, Wis./Grantsburg HS (Northern State)) led the Saints attack with 12 kills, while Noelle Elvehjem (Mora, Minn./Mora HS) and Gloria Ohaju (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) each added six kills. The Saints had a total of 12 block assists for the match with Ohaju collecting four herself; along with a block solo.

Tannyr Heyl (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine HS (Saint Benedict)) led the Saints with 15 digs, while Danielle Benusa (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) had 14. Erika Birkeland (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) registered 26 set assists in the victory.

CSS 2, No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3
In the second match of the day, the Saints battled back-and-forth before the Athenas ultimately took the match in five sets 25-20, 15-25, 25-18, 20-25 and 15-6.

The second contest saw freshman Amanda Belden (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) have a big match with 13 kills. Morrin also added 13 kills. Heyl once again led the Saints with 27 digs. Birkeland had 40 set assists and added 20 digs. Ohaju had two block solos and two block assists.

The Saints will head over to La Verne tomorrow to face Occidental College (9 a.m. PT) and the University of La Verne (11 a.m. PT).