THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The last time the College of Saint Benedict volleyball team played a highly-ranked Emory team, the Bennies upset the Eagles in a five-set match.
 
Friday evening in California CSB looked to repeat history, but came up just short.
 
CSB took a 2-1 lead on second-ranked Emory Friday in the first day of the Cal Lutheran Tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif., but the Eagles came back to win the next two sets and hold on for the 3-2 win. Saint Benedict started the day with a 3-1 loss to No. 18 Wash U, and is now 0-6 overall.
 
The first set against Emory was CSB's best as the team tallied 16 kills and hit .250 to pick up a 25-23 win. Emory (6-1) reversed the score and held on for a 25-23 win in set two to tie the match 1-1, but CSB's defense held Emory to just eight kills in the third and took a 2-0 lead on the No. 2 team in Division III thanks to a 25-17 victory.
 
The Eagles came back and held CSB to just 10 kills in the next two sets combined and sealed the win with a 25-15 win in the fourth set and a 15-11 win in the fifth and final set.
 
Senior libero Mary Wenisch recorded a career-high 28 digs to pace Saint Benedict's defense and keep plays alive to give her team the chance to win. Gabby Heying led the offense with 18 kills and Olivia Thompson and Sophie Kobienia both added 13. Peyton Marker had 22 assists and Audrey Spolidoro had 15 assists and 11 digs.
 
In the first match of the day, CSB looked poised to take the first set from Wash U after take a 21-18 lead thanks to kills from Heying and Madelyn Gregory and a block from Gregory and McKenzie Galvin, but the Bears scored three of the final for points to win 26-24.
 
The Bennies used a 10-3 run late in the second set to pull away for a 25-21 win, but recorded 19 attack errors in the final two sets as the Bears won 25-13 and 25-22.
 
Heying led the team with 12 kills, Wenisch had 10 digs and Marker had 21 assists.
 
CSB plays one more match Saturday at 2:45 p.m. CDT against host-school Cal Lutheran, which is receiving votes in Division III, before returning home to Minnesota.