Match Summary vs. Maryville / Match Summary vs. NWU

WAVERLY, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University women's volleyball team saw its five-match winning streak come to a screeching halt Friday evening — but you would never know it by talking to coach Mike Lester.

The Cardinals kicked off the Wartburg Invitational with win No. 5 in a row, sweeping past Maryville (Mo.) 3-0, but SMU's bid for that sixth straight win came up short, as Nebraska Wesleyan handed them a 3-0 setback.

“Despite the outcome of the second match, it was a good day for us,” said Lester, whose team moved to 5-2 with the tournament split. “We played very well against Maryville, and despite what the final score said, we played very well against Nebraska Wesleyan, too

“(Nebraska Wesleyan) is a very good team, and I thought we hung right with them — we played very well, we just came up a bit short."

Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.) led the way for the Cardinals against Maryville, collecting 16 kills, while Sarah Gardner chipped in 14 and Lexi Assimos (Nortbrook, Ill.) dished out 26 assists.

Gardner improved on her 14-kill attach against Maryville, posting a team-best 18 kills against Nebraska Wesleyan, while Assimos finished with 32 assists and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) tallied 15 digs).

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, taking on Buena Vista and Wartburg in the second day of the two-day tournament.