WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off its second straight perfect 4-0 weekend, kicks off its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule Wednesday, playing host to Augsburg in a 7 p.m. match at the SMU Gym

Last Action: The Cardinals ran their unbeaten streak to eight straight, going through the Wartburg Invitational with an unblemished 4-0 record. SMU defeated Wartburg (3-0) and UW-La Crosse (3-2) on Friday, then locked up the title with a 3-0 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan and a 3-1 win vs. Loras. Augsburg, meanwhile, went 2-2 in its own invitational last weekend. The Auggies beat UW-Stevens Point (3-0) and Lawrence (3-0), while falling to St. Thomas (3-0) and UW-Eau Claire (3-0).

Last Meeting: Friday, Oct. 24, 2008: The Auggies, fueled by 26 blocks, rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat SMU 3-2 (19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 15-9) at the SMU Gym. It was the second straight year in which Augsburg had defeated the Cardinals 3-2.

Saint Mary's Cardinal Notes: For the second week in a row, Courtney Runge (St. James, Minn.) and Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) were named to the all-tournament team. The duo earned all-tourney honors at the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic two weekends ago, and then were all-tournament picks last weekend at the Wartburg Invitational. … Along with her all-tournament honors, Runge — who collected a team-best 56 kills and boasted a double-double in all four SMU matches — was named the tournament's MVP. … Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) hit a team-leading .371 at the Wartburg Invite, while Runge added 59 digs and five blocks to her team-leading 56 kills. … Gardner chipped in 41 kills and a .314 attack percentage in the four tournament games, while Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) dished out 153 assists and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) finished with a team-high 86 digs. … After opening the season with a 3-1 loss at Viterbo, the Cardinals have rattled off eight straight wins. The eight-match winning streak is the fourth-longest in school history. SMU won 13 straight in 1990, 11 in a row in 2000 and nine straight in 2003. … With their 3-0 win over Loras last Friday evening, SMU coach Mike Lester eclipsed the 200-career win plateau. … Four of SMU's eight wins have been sweeps, while the Cardinals' 3-2 win over UW-La Crosse last Friday was the first time this season they had gone the maximum five sets.

Augsburg Auggie Notes: After opening the season with a 4-0 showing at the St. Olaf/St. Catherine Tournament, the Auggies have gone 2-3 in their last five matches. … All four of Augsburg's matches at last weekend's Augsburg Invite were decided by 3-0 scores — 3-0 wins over UW-Stevens Point and Lawrence, and losses to St. Thomas and UW-Eau Claire. … Katie Christensen leads the Auggies' offense, boasting a team-best 91 kills (2.84 kps), while also delivering 18 aces, 73 digs and 13 blocks. … Shanna Reed has collected 244 assists in nine matches, while Dani Tanaka leads the team with 155 digs. … All three of the Auggies' losses have come at home.