Match Summary vs. Rockford /
Match Summary vs. Ripon /
GameDay Online
RIPON, Wis.. — After losing their second match of the Ripon Invitational, a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Clarke Friday evening, Saint Mary's University volleyball team
Mike Lester didn't know how his young squad would respond when they took the court again on Saturday.
They responded just fine, thank you.
Led by
Racquel Reker (Mantorville, Minn.) and
Alex Nold (Spring Valley, Minn.), the Cardinals posted a pair of nonconference wins Saturday — beating Rockford 3-1 and host Ripon 3-0 — en route to the tournament championship.
“We played so much better today than we did last night,” said Lester, whose team opened tournament play with a 3-0 win over Beloit, before falling to Clarke, 3-2. “I think everyone was a little nervous on Friday night, but today, we were much more relaxed and played much more like we are capable of playing.”
Which is good news for Lester and the Cardinals — and bad news for their opponents.
“This is a young team, and we're approaching the early part of the season as a work in progress,” said Lester, whose team finished the tournament tied with Beloit at 3-1, but won the tiebreaker with their win vs. the Buccanneers. “Our goal is to get better every match.”
Which is exactly what they did.
Reker collected 30 kills in SMU's two matches Saturday, while Nold chipped in 24 kills and 11 blocks.
Theresa Perrini (Fairway, Kan.) posted 43 digs and freshman setter #Rachel Monterastelli#
(Wonder Lake, Ill.) dished out 87 assists in the two matches combined.
“This was a great start for us,” said Lester, who had two players — Nord and Monterastelli named to the all-tournament team. “We had a lot of young players get their first taste of collegiate volleyball, and I'm pleased with how they performed. We've still got a ways to go, but I think we're off to a good start.”
