WAVERLY, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team made win No. 200 look easy Friday evening.
Actually, it was only win No. 5 on the season — five in a row as a matter of fact — but it was win No. 200 for head coach Mike Lester, as the Cardinals knocked off Wartburg 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-23) in their opening match of the Wartburg Invitational Friday evening.
And the Cardinals gave Lester win No. 201 later that evening, but not without a bit of nailbiting, as SMU held off UW-La Crosse, 3-2 (25-13, 21-25, 25-18, 18-25, 15-7).
“Beating a very good team like Wartburg — a regional team that is going to win a lot of matches this year — is big for us,” said Lester, downplaying his own milestone. “I thought we played fairly well, but I didn't think we played as well as we are capable.
“The La Crosse was a good match for us, because we had to bounce back from a couple of disappointing sets and we did,” Lester added. “Overall, we were good, but we can be better.”
Courtney Runge (St. James, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals against Wartburg, collecting 13 kills and 14 digs, while Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Min.) added nine kills and hit .500, and Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) finished with eight kills, three digs and two blocks. Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) led the team in digs with 17, with Brittney Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) dishing out 35 assists.
Gardner led the Cardinals' offensive attack vs. UW-La Crosse, collecting 17 kills, while Runge tallied 16 kills and 15 digs. Kujak finished with 14 kills and four blocks, Rasmussen recorded 17 digs, and Rachel Monterastelli (Wonder Lake, Ill.) and Cherwinka shared the setting duties, compiling 31 and 28 assists, respectively.
“We know that we can play better than we did tonight,” Lester admitted. “But it's hard to argue about two wins.”
