Match Summary

LA CROSSE, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team's perfect season-opening run came to a screeching halt Wednesday afternoon, as UW-La Crosse handed SMU its first loss of the season, 3-1.

Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals — who had opened the season with four straight 3-0 wins in capturing the Elmhurst Tournament championship last weekend — collecting 19 kills. Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) chipped in 13 kills and 21 digs, while Erin Coleman (Austin, Minn.) tallied 10 kills and 20 digs.

The Cardinals came out a bit flat in the opening game, hitting just .067 as a team as UW-L rolled to a 30-20 victory. The Cardinals rebounded with a 30-24 win in Game 2, but the Eagles regained control with a 30-25 win in Game 3 and a 30-28 win in Game 4.

Melissa Cowan (Algonquin, Ill.) finished with 51 assists and 19 digs for SMU (4-1 overall), while Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) chipped in nine kills and four blocks.