Match Summary / GameDay Preview

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss to nationally ranked St. Thomas on Wednesday, needed a bounce-back performance Saturday afternoon against Carleton.

And bounce back the Cardinals did, as Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) hoisted the squad on her shoulders and carried them to a 3-1 conference win over the Knights at Skoglund Center on the campus of St. Olaf College.

“Amy had a great match and was a huge spark for us today,” said SMU coach Mik Lester, who watched Kujak collect a match-high 18 kills and hit .306 in leading SMU to the 25-20, 24-26, 25-12, 34-32 victory. “We knew how important this match was — to go on the road and beat a good Carleton team, this was a big win for us.”

Kujak was the leader, but the Cardinal junior didn't do it alone, as Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.) added 16 kills, three aces and nine digs, while Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) dished out 45 assists and finished with 11 digs.

“This was another, typical MIAC match,” said Lester. “We only hit .190 as a team, so you have to tip you hat to (Carleton's) defense, but (Carleton) only hit .059 as a team, which is a credit to our blocking and defensive play.

“It was good to see us bounce back after the St. Thomas match and get a win,” added Lester, whose team improved to 2-1 in the MIAC and 9-3 overall. “Now we have to make sure to keep things rolling — we have come out on Wednesday against Hamline and continue to play at a high level.”