Match Sumnmary

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team was hoping to gain a little revenge — and a share of the conference lead — Wednesday afternoon against St. Olaf.

And, after an impressive 30-22 victory in the opening game of their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match with the league-leading Oles, things were certainly looking good for the Cardinals.

St. Olaf, however, had other ideas.

The Oles, the only conference team to beat the Cardinals during SMU's regular-season conference-championship run, showed why they haven't lost a match all season, rattling off three straight victories — 30-20, 30-26, 33-31 — en route to the 3-1 win over SMU.

Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) posted a match-high 16 kills and added five blocks, while Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) chipped in 14 kills in the losing effort for SMU (4-2 MIAC, 8-10 overall). Rhonda Thibault (Faribault, Minn.) tallied seven kills, four aces and five blocks, and Leslie Nicholls (Hastings, Minn.) added 18 digs for the Cardinals.

Nicole Trnka led a trio of St. Olaf players with 10 or more kills, finishing with 11 as St. Olaf won for the 14th straight time this season (6-0 MIAC, 14-0 overall).