MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off a 3-1 showing at the Wartburg Invitational last weekend, kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg for a 7 p.m. match against the Auggies.
The Teams:
Saint Mary's Cardinals: 0-0 MIAC / 7-2 Overall
Augsburg Auggies: 0-0 MIAC / 6-6 Overall
Last Action:
The Cardinals went 3-1 during its four matches at the Wartburg Invitational — beating Maryville (3-0), Buena Vista (3-0) and Wartburg (3-1), while also dropping a 3-0 decision to Nebraska Wesleyan. Augsburg, meanwhile, managed just one win at its home invitational, opening with a 3-0 win over Edgewood, before falling to Saint Benedict (3-2), UW-Eau Claire (3-1) and Northwestern (3-1)
Last Meeting — September 16, 2009:
The Auggies rallied from a 2-1 deficit, winning the fourth set 25-21, then holding off a late SMU charge to beat the Cardinals 15-10 in the fifth and deciding set en route to a 3-2 (27-25, 20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-10) victory. It was the third straight time the two teams have gone the maximum five sets.
Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
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With their three wins last weekend, the Cardinals enter tonight's MIAC opener boasting seven wins in their first nine matches. … SMU is looking to snap a three-match losing streak against the Auggies — with all three matches decided by a 3-2 score. … Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) earned her second all-tournament honor of the season, as the senior right-side hitter was SMU's representative on the Wartburg All-Tournament Team. … Gardner finished with a team-best 54 kills, while Jessica Mate (St. Charles, Ill.) was close behind with 50. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) dished out a career-best 49 assists in SMU's 3-1, tournament-ending win over Wartburg Saturday and finished the tournament with 105 assists. … Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn.) collected a career-best 12 kills vs. Wartburg Saturday. … Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) hit a team-leading .497 in the Cardinals' four tournament matches last weekend — including a whopping .667 in their win over Wartburg. … Gardner, a First-Team All-MIAC and AVCA All-Central Region selection, while also earning honorable-mention All-American honors a year ago, enters Wednesday's MIAC opener with 1,113 career kills, while Mate is close behind at 1,066. … Five of the Cardinals' seven wins have been 3-0 decisions. SMU has played one five-set match — beating Loras 3-2.
Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
The Auggies enter tonight's conference opener have dropped three straight and four of their last five. … The Auggies have failed to win at least one set just twice — vs. UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls — in their first 12 matches. On the flip side, four of Augsburg's six wins have been 3-0 sweeps. … Katie Christensen boasts a team-best 117 kills (2.72 kps), while Amanda Unze has 95 kills and a team-high .342 attack percentage. … Emily McCourt and Denielle Johnson have shared the setting details, with McCourt dishing out 277 assists, while McCourt has 125. … McCourt also leads the team in service aces (23) and Jessica Hilk is the team's leader in digs with 164. … Five of the Auggies' six wins have come on neutral courts. Augsburg is 1-3 on its home floor.
