UW-Superior Box | Coe Box | GameDay Preview

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Saint Mary's University volleyball coach Mike Lester must have felt like he stepped into a time machine when he walked off the court Saturday afternoon.

Flashback one week — Ripon Red Hawk Invitational, Ripon, Wis.: The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-1 lead, but couldn't hold off high-powered Coe, as the Kohawks rattled off back to back victories to beat SMU 3-2.

Fast-forward to Saturday — U. of Dubuque River City Classic: The Cardinals once again jumped out to a 2-1 lead against the Kohawks in their final match of the two-day tournament — and fortunately for Lester, history didn't repeat itself, as SMU won the fourth set 23-18 to clinch the 3-1 victory.

“That was a huge win,” understated Lester, whose team handed Coe just its second loss in 20 matches this season. “Give the entire team credit — they played outstanding. It was good to see us bounce back from a disappointing (3-2) loss to Clarke and play the way we did today.”

The Cardinals opened the day with a convincing 3-0 victory over UW-Superior in a match that SMU controlled from start to finish, opening with a 25-22 win, outlasting the Yellowjackets 28-26 in the second set, then completing the sweep with a 25-13 win in the third set.

Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) led a trio in double figures in kills with a match-high 18, while Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) and Sabrina Bushlack (Mapleton, Minn.) chipped in 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) tallied 49 assists, and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) and Erika Hurley (Chatfield, Minn.) added 24 and 20 digs, respectively.

Yet, despite those impressive numbers, it was the play of Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn.) that impressed Lester most.

“We had a lot of great statistical performances, but the biggest difference (in the Coe match) was the play of Kaylee Bunne,” said Lester. “She did a little bit of everything — eight kills, an ace, four digs and two blocks — and just had a ton of touches.

“She played outstanding.”

In their first match of the day against UW-Superior, Grant was virtually unstoppable, hammering out 19 kills, while hitting a whopping .667. The freshman outside hitter also collected 11 digs. Nodick finished with nine kills and a team-high blocks, with Assimos tallying 37 assists and Rasmussen finishing with 15 digs.

The Cardinals (12-6 overall) return to conference play next weekend, hosting Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. MIAC match on Friday, before playing host to Concordia in a 3 p.m. showdown on Saturday.