Benedictine University's women's volleyball team has just two Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matches left on the schedule. The team will play both this week, as BenU hosts both Dominican University on Wednesday night and Rockford University on Saturday morning at the Dan and Ada Rice Center.
Benedictine (7-19, 5-4) sits in a tie for sixth-place in the NACC standings with Marian University. The Eagles lead eighth-place Milwaukee School of Engineering (4-5 NACC record) by one match and ninth-place Concordia University Chicago (2-7 NACC record) by three matches. The top six teams qualify for the NACC Tournament, which begins on November 4.
Wednesday: vs. Dominican (19-8, 9-0), 7:00 p.m.
The Eagles host perennial NACC power Dominican on Wednesday, who come into this matchup as strong as ever. Dominican has won all nine conference matchups and the last even matches overall, with the team's last defeat coming that IIAC/NAAC Crossover Challenge in late September. The Stars are used to the success, as the team has won at least a share of either the NACC's Regular Season or Tournament Championship in four of the last five seasons.
Benedictine and Dominican have played some close matches with large implications since the NACC as formed in 2006. The schools have met a total of 15 times during that span, with five of those matchups coming in the NACC Tournament. The Eagles hold a 9-6 record in those matchups, but the Stars took both meetings last season, including a 3-1 victory in the NACC Tournament Semifinals. Benedictine's last victory in the series came in the 2012 NACC Tournament Semifinals, when the Eagles won 3-1 in Lisle.
Saturday: vs. Rockford (8-16, 1-8), 11:00 a.m.
After winning the NACC opener against Alverno College on September 16, Rockford has lost eight consecutive NACC matches and eight of nine overall. In the month of October, the Regents have gone 0-6 despite five set matches against MSOE and Marian. The struggles come after Rockford started the season strong, going 6-3 in the first nine matches.
The Eagles have done well against the Regents in recent years, as Rockford's last win in the series came in five sets back in 2010 in Lisle. Benedictine has won over Rockford each of the last three seasons, dropping just one set to the Regents in 2011.
Abby Screnock led the way for BenU in last season's 3-0 win with 20 assists, six digs, and three kills.
