Match Summary vs. Coe /
Match Summary vs. Wartburg /
GameDay Online
Wartburg Invitational Homepage
WAVERLY, Iowa — There's something about these two-day weekend tournaments that bring out the best in the Saint Mary's University volleyball team.
A year ago, finished 13-3 in its four weekend tournaments and did not lose more than one match in any of the four tournaments they took part in — including tournament titles at Ripon and McDaniel (Md.).
This year, SMU boasts a 6-2 tourney mark — including a perfect 4-0 run through the season-opening Elmhurst Tournament and a 2-2 mark at last weekend's Jefferson's Sugar Loaf Classic.
And Friday evening, the Cardinals' tournament magic continued, as SMU opened the Wartburg Invitational with a 3-1 (25-12, 25-9, 23-25, 25-19) win over Coe. Things didn't go quite as well in their second match, however, as host Wartburg rallied from a first set loss to beat the Cardinals 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-20).
Sarah Garnder
(Rochester, Minn.) led the Cardinals' charge in their tournament-opening win over the Kohawks, collecting 16 kills, while
Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) added 12 kills and six blocks, and
Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.) tallied 10 kills.
Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) dished out 40 assists and
Theresa Perrini (Fairway, Kan.) posted 30 digs.
Against the Knights, Mate and Kujak each knocked down 15 kills, with Gardner adding 13 kills and three blocks. Cherwinka finished with her second straight 40-assist performance and Perrini had a team-best 31 digs.
The Cardinals, who move to 8-4 overall, return to action Saturday, taking on Simpson and UW-La Crosse in their final two matches at the Wartburg Invitational.
