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Game Summary / GameDay Online

WINONA, Minn. — Through out the Saint Mary's University volleyball team's three-match losing streak, the Cardinals have had one or two players try to carry the offensive  load.

And for the most part, it has been the Cardinals' freshman class doing the heavy lifting.

Wednesday evening, SMU spread the wealth a bit — with very positive results.

The Cardinals had four players with at least 10 kills — including 16 each from Courtney Runge (St. James, Minn.) and Pam Stanton (Mundelin, Ill.) — as SMU put an end to its three-match losing streak with a 3-1 (27-30, 31-29, 30-25, 30-14) victory over St. Olaf at the SMU Gym.

"All season long, we've had one or two players who have stepped up and led us offensively," said SMU coach Mike Lester. "And while that's nice to have, it wasn't always enough — we weren't getting that balanced attack you need to be successful in this conference.

"Tonight, we got that balance — and a big, big win to go with it."

Runge, forced into the lineup when starting right-side Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) injured her shoulder, made the most of her opportunity, pounding out 16 kills in 31 attempts — missing her career high by one kill.

"With Sarah out, we were forced to juggle out lineup a bit," said Lester, noting that without Gardner, he was forced to move Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.) to the right-side, which opened up the outside hitter spot for the combo of Stanton and Runge. "Courtney and Pam did an outstanding job. They have worked hard all season, and have always been ready when their number has been called.

"We needed big nights from the two of them, and they really came through."

But they weren't alone.

Racquel Reker (Mantorville, Minn.) and Mate each added 13 kills — with Reker's 13 coming on just 19 attempts for a whopping .632 attack percentage. Theresa Perrini (Fairway, Kan.) tallied 29 digs and Rachel Monterastelli (Wonder Lake, Ill.) dished out 57 assists  — marking the second straight match, and sixth time this season, that the freshman setter has eclipsed the 50-assist mark.

"This was an important win for us," said Lester, whose team moves to 2-4 in the MIAC and 12-8 overall — and now has a week of rest before returning to the court next Wednesday for its home finale against sixth-ranked St. Thomas. "Our conference is so tough — by the end of the season, we could have five teams ranked in the (AVCA) Top 25. And when you are looking at (MIAC) tournament positions, that really means there's only one (of the six playoff spots) left, and a whole lot of teams in the mix for that spot.

"This is a match we knew we needed to win if we were going to stay in that mix — and the ladies came up with an outstanding performance."