Match Summary / GameDay Preview

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Saint Mary's University volleyball coach Mike Lester was hoping Wednesday's 3-0 nonconference loss against Northwestern would be a learning experience for his 24th-ranked Cardinals.

And, if Friday's performance in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match is any indication, Lester's Cardinals are quick studies.

The Cardinals put together one of their most dominating performances of the season Friday evening, cruising to a 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 14-25, 25-23) conference win over the Blazers in a battle between two of the conference's second-place team.

And, thanks in part to Bethel's 3-0 win over St. Olaf, Friday's win over the Blazers not only moved SMU in front of CSB in the conference standings, it also pulled the Cardinals even with St. Olaf for the MIAC's top spot.

“This was a big, big win for us,” said Lester, whose team improved to 4-1 in the MIAC and 16-4 overall with the win — their seventh in their last eight games. “We did a nice job of taking (Saint Benedict) out of their system. Anytime you can hold a team to an .091 hitting percentage, you are doing something right.”

Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.) led the Cardinals attack, collecting a match-high 19 kills, while hitting .395. Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) chipped in 13 kills and Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) dished out 37 assists.

“It was good to see us bounce back after a sub-par performance (against Northwestern) last Wednesday,” said Lester, whose team squares off against No. 20 Concordia in a 3 p.m. match in Moorhead, Minn., on Saturday. “We're going to need the same kind of effort (Saturday).”