WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off an NCAA tournament appearance in 2009, kicks off its 2010 season Wednesday evening, playing host to Viterbo in a 7 p.m. nonconference match at the SMU Gym.
The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals: 0-0 Overall
Viterbo V-Hawks: 4-3 Overall
Last Action:
Today's match is the season opener the Cardinals. SMU is coming off a 22-10 season that ended with a 3-1 loss to eventual NCAA Division III national champion Washington University in St. Louis in the NCAA regional semifinals. … Viterbo, meanwhile, has already played seven matches, going 4-3 during a seven-day trip to California last week.
Last Meeting —
September 1, 2009:
Viterbo raced out to a 10-2 Set 1 lead and never looked back, handing SMU a
3-1 (25-18, 16-25, 25-19, 2-25) setback in La Crosse, Wis.
Saint Mary's Cardinals At The Net:
The Cardinals enter tonight's season opener ranked No. 24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll. …
Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) collected a slew of post-season awards a year ago, being named First-Team All-MIAC and AVCA All-Central Region, while also earning honorable-mention All-American honors. …
Jessica Mate (St. Charles, lll.), also a First-Team All-MIAC selection in 2009 (for the second year in a row), was an honorable-mention AVCA All-Central Region pick. … The Cardinals' 22 wins in 2009 were the most wins in a season since SMU won 28 en route to their first-ever NCAA national tournament appearance in 2000. …
Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) and
Courtney Runge (St. James, Minn.) reached career milestones in 2009 — Cherwinka eclipsing 2,000 assists, while Runge surpassed 1,000 digs. … Cherwinka collected a team-best 1,187 assists in 2009 and boasts 2,327 assists in three years at SMU, ranking her fifth all-time. Runge, meanwhile, collected 374 digs in 2009 to close out her collegiate career with 1,084, ranking her seventh among SMU's all-time career leaders. … Gardner, who led the team in kills with 386, enters her senior season in 2010 needing just 10 kills for 1,000 for her career. Mate, meanwhile, is just 48 kills shy of 1,000. … Gardner also led the team in aces (55), while
Amy Kujak?(River Falls, Wis.) boasted a team-best 128 blocks.
Viterbo V-Hawks At The Net:
Viterbo's three losses during its California trip came against nationally ranked schools — No. 6 Biola University, No. 9 Azusa Pacific University, and No. 14 Point Loma University. … The V-Hawks finished the 2009 season 31-11. … Viterbo's 31 wins in 2009 are the most since 1990 season and marked the fourth consecutive season with at least 28 wins. … The V-Hawks return return 10 letterwinners, including MCC all-conference honorees Amy Braaksma and Jenna Lau. … Head coach Ryan DeLong enters his sixth season with a 132-77 record. His 132 wins are the most by a V-Hawk volleyball coach. … Viterbo's top returners include, Amy Braaksma (398 kills), Jenna Lau (361 kills, .333 hitting %), Katie Flock (327 kills), Amanda Bernett (school record 1,043 assists) and Jordan Blaken (363 digs).
