Match Summary
WAVERLY, Iowa — It was a good news, bad news kind of weekend for the Saint Mary's University volleyball team at the Wartburg Invitational.
First, the bad news: SMU finished 1-3 in the five-team tournament, losing to Wartburg, Bethel and Augustana, while beating Gettysburg.
Now, the good news: SMU finished 1-3 in the five-team tournament, losing to Wartburg, Bethel and Augustana, while beating Gettysburg.
How could going 1-3 be both good and bad?
Simple.
You see, despite their final record, the Cardinals actually played very well — hitting .255 as a team, collecting 202 kills, 32 service aces, 260 digs and 45 blocks.
Add to that the fact that all four teams SMU faced participated in the NCAA Division III national tournament a year ago, and Cardinals coach Mike Lester is more than pleased with his team's showing.
For the most part.
"I knew coming into the tournament that we were going to face some very tough competition — and that's one of the reasons we got into this tournament," said Lester. "We could have easily gone 0-4 — the teams we faced were that good.
"But, on the other hand, with the way wee played, and with a break here or there, we could have just as easily gone 4-0."
After opening the tournament with a 1-1 record — a 3-0 loss to Wartburg in a match that SMU led 29-27 in Game 2 and 25-23 in Game 3, and a 3-0 win vs. Gettysburg — SMU suffered back-to-back 3-1 losses to MIAC rival Bethel and Augustana.
"Overall, I thought we played pretty well," said Lester. "We had our opportunities against Wartburg — up 29-27 and serving in the second game and up 25-23 in the third— but we let it slip away. Had we won those games, who knows what the outcome might have been.
"I've said it before, but this is a very young team (1 senior, 2 juniors) and at times, we play like a very young team," Lester continued. "Fortunately, we've got 13 matches under our belts now, and, hopefully, that experience will be a good preparation for us as we open our conference season (Wednesday at Augsburg).
"I'm pleased with where we are at," Lester added. "There have been some matches that we've lost that we probably should have won, but overall, to be 7-6 after 13 matches — against the stiff competition we've faced — I'm happy with that."
