St. Joseph, Minn. — The University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic volleyball team defeated (RV) College of Saint Benedict 3-1 on Wednesday. After dropping the first set 21-25, the Blue Devils won the next three 25-18, 25-18 and 25-22 while hitting .255 for the match.
 
The Blue Devils stayed even through the early exchanges, with kills from Addison Kessler and Sloan Horgan pulling them level at 3-3 before Saint Benedict's errors tied the set again at 7-7. Saint Benedict moved ahead 16-10. The Blue Devils responded with four straight points to get within 16-14, including a block by Horgan and Kessler, then used a Kyra Giffen kill, a Brynn Hessel block, and a Hessel kill to stay within 20-19. Saint Benedict scored the next four points to reach 24-19, and after a Brooke McCune kill and a McCune-Kessler block moved Stout to 24-21, CSB finished the set with a kill for a 25-21 Saint Benedict win.
 
McCune had two early kills, and UW-Stout used a Horgan kill, a Giffen kill, and two Saint Benedict errors to move from 6-4 down to an 8-6 lead. Saint Benedict tied the set at 8-8, but Stout went back in front 12-9 before the home team scored four straight to take a 13-12 edge. McCune tied it at 13-13, Hope Bushendorf put the Blue Devils back up 14-13, and after CSB evened it again, McCune, Stephanie Petrbok, and a block by Horgan and Kessler gave Stout a 17-14 lead. Horgan and Kessler helped push the margin to 21-16, and after Saint Benedict got within 21-18, Hessel started the final four-point finish with a kill before Bushendorf and Hessel capped the 25-18 set with consecutive kills.
 
The Blue Devils scored the first three points of the third set behind kills from McCune and Bushendorf, but Saint Benedict worked back to tie it at 6-6 and later used a four-point stretch to move ahead 11-8. Stout answered after trailing 12-9, getting a Hessel kill, a block by Kessler and McCune, and a Bushendorf kill to go in front 13-12 before Falon Hepola's service ace made it 15-13. Saint Benedict responded with three straight points for a 16-15 lead, but McCune put down a kill to tie the set and then served through a five-point run that included her ace for a 21-16 Stout advantage. Horgan and Hessel added late kills, and Lainey Todd's service ace closed out the set 25-18.
 
After Saint Benedict turned a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 lead, Stout answered with six straight points, getting a Horgan-Hessel block, a McCune kill, consecutive Lauren Duenkel kills, and a Horgan kill to move in front 10-7. Saint Benedict later pulled even at 14-14, and the set stayed tight through 20-20 before a Saint Benedict setting error and McCune's kill from Todd put the Blue Devils ahead 22-20. Saint Benedict tied it again at 22-22, but two attack errors gave Stout set point and Hessel finished the 25-22 set with a service ace.
 
UW-Stout Top Performers
 
Brooke McCune
• team-high 17 points
• team-high 15 kills
• 11 digs
 
Falon Hepola
• team-high 23 assists
• 11 digs
 
Addison Kessler
• seven kills with no errors on 10 attempts for .700 hitting percentage
• team-high 4 blocks
• Nine points
 
Brynn Hessel
• Eight kills on .350 hitting
• Three blocks, including one solo
• 11 points
 
Stephanie Petrbok
• 10 digs
 
The 5-3 Blue Devils will travel to Ripon, Wis. to compete in the Red Hawks Invitational Sept. 18 and 19. On Friday, Stout will face Mount Mary at 3 p.m. and Hamline at 5 p.m.