The series between Lakeland and Benedictine dates back more than 40 years, to the teams' first meeting in 1982 in a tourney hosted by the Eagles. Benedictine won both sets in a one-day round-robin among five teams; since then, the teams exchanged streaks until alternating wins the last four years. The Muskies prevailed last year, taking a 25-19, 22-25, 25-14, 25-17 victory at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium Sept. 17, 2024. The Eagles' last win in the series came two years ago at home in a 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22 victory. Before the teams alternated wins the last four years, Lakeland had winning streaks of eight and seven matches over Benedictine, and the Eagles won six straight to begin the series and then five straight from 2010-13.

Lakeland last time out: Won at Wisconsin Lutheran 3-1 Thursday
The Muskies got the job done on the road, winning the final three sets for a 21-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-19 victory over the Warriors. Lakeland won its seventh straight match by being the much steadier team the final three sets, and also served up a season-high 13 aces. Maleigha Kovalaske finished with 15 kils and six service aces, Samya Hughes added 14 kills and Ryan Figi paced the team with 14 digs and also added four  aces. Sydney Gay also totaled 34 assists and five blocks. The Muskies' seven-match winning streak is their longest in 10 years, since winning eight straight late in the 2015 campaign.

Benedictine last time out: Lost at Illinois Tech 3-2 Wednesday
The Eagles lost a tough one on the road, twice evening the match after winning the second and fourth sets but dropping the deciding set in a 25-23, 19-25, 25-13, 17-25, 15-10 defeat. The Eagles hit just .059 as a team with 39 kills and 30 errors but kept fighting in a match where both teams struggled with errors. Sophia Sommesi led Benedictine with 11 kills and added 16 digs, Jordan Vanarsdale totaled eight kills and five blocks and Brooke Wisniewski paced the team with 17 digs. Benedictine dropped its second straight in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and has played four  or five sets in 10 of its last 11 matches, including four five-setters in that time.

Senior Day: Lakeland will honor seven seniors before Saturday's game. Recognized will be D'Janae Gilley, Katelyn Kitsembel, Bailey Pearson, Kaitlyn Ramirez, Olivia Swenson, Amira Szczepanski and Lucero Velazquez. All seven are four-year members of the program who joined the Muskies in 2022 and have been part of 54 wins in their career, as well as teams that will qualify for the NACC Tournament all four years.