Cardinals inch closer to MIAC berth

Donny Nadeau, SMU Sports Information Office

Match Summary

WINONA, Minn. —Their backs have been to the wall for the past four matches — and that's just the way the Saint Mary's University volleyball team likes it.

When the pressure's on, so are the Cardinals.

SMU extended its winning streak four straight — and moved one step closer to locking up a spot in the six-team MIAC post-season tournament — with a 3-1 victory over Carleton Wednesday evening at the SMU Gym.

"Everyone on this team is extremely happy with this win, but they also know that they've got one more to go," said SMU coach Mike Lester, whose team needs a win next Wednesday in its regular-season finale against Gustavus to secure a tournament berth. "It's all or nothing next Wednesday — win and we're in, lose and we're out."

Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) almost single-handedly made sure the Cardinals would get a win-and-their-in scenario against the Gusties, as Koertgen recorded a match-high 29 kills and added three blocks, while Rouzer also broke the 20-kill barrier, finishing with 22 and a team-leading 24 digs.

"Tracy and Kirstan both had huge matches," praised Lester. "Carleton is a very, very good team and we needed to play one of our better matches to beat them. I thought everyone stepped up their game a bit tonight, and that's nice to see — when the match is on the line, everyone on this team wants to do their part."

And do it to perfection.

Along with stellar showings from Koertgen and Rouzer, SMU also got an impressive 11-kill, six-block effort from Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.), as well as 61 assists from Melissa Cowan (Algonquin, Ill.)

"Our goal at the beginning of the season was to reach the NCAA tournament — tonight's match helped keep that goal alive," said Lester, whose team improved to 6-4 in the MIAC and 14-13 overall. "Obviously, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us, but if we can get ourselves into the (MIAC) tournament, that (NCAA tournament) automatic qualifier is up for grabs."

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