NORTHFIELD, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team is back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Carleton for a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest against the Knights.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-7 MIAC, 16-13 Overall)
at Carleton Knights (3-6 MIAC, 13-10 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals snapped a two-match losing streak on Saturday, rebounding from a 3-0 loss to league-leading St. Thomas the night before to sweep Hamline 3-0 in St Paul, Minn. … Carleton, meanwhile, was swept for the second straight match on Saturday, falling to Concordia 3-0 in Moorhead, Minn.

Cardinals vs. Carleton — Their Last Meeting:
September 25, 2010: Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) hoisted the Cardinals on her shoulders — collecting a match-high 18 kills to carry SMU to a 3-1 conference win over the Knights at Skoglund Center on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals close out their 2011 season on Saturday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against Gustavus. … Carleton, meanwhile, is also on the road to end its season Saturday, heading across town for a 3 p.m. MIAC match against St. Olaf.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
Wednesday's match at Carleton is the seventh straight road match for the Cardinals, who played four matches at the North Central (Ill.) Tournament and MIAC road contests at St. Thomas and Hamline in the last 12 days. … Last Friday's showdown against nationally ranked St. Thomas was the fourth straight match in which the Cardinals square off against a league-leader. SMU had also squared off against Concordia, Saint Benedict and Bethel — all three were tied with St. Thomas atop the MIAC standings heading into this weekend. … After suffering just their second 3-0 setback of the season vs. St. Thomas last Friday, SMU turned around and recorded its seventh 3-0 sweep a day later against Hamline. … Four of SMU's last seven matches have gone the maximum five sets. … The Cardinals have played 12 five-set matches this season, going 5-7. … Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) picked up 32 kills combined against St. Thomas and Hamline — including a match-high 19 kills vs. the Pipers last Saturday — and enters Wednesday's match at Carleton with a team-leading 434 kills. … Grant is one of six Cardinals with 100 or more kills. Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) is second with 234, followed by Sabrina Bushlack (Mapleton, Minn. / 173), Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn. / 143), Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn. / 127) and Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn. / 108). … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) pushed her team-high assist total to 956 with her 35-assist effort Saturday at Hamline, while Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) is the team-leader in digs with 382. … Led by Rasmussen, the Cardinals boast three players with 200 or more digs and six with 100 of more. … The Cardinals' 2-2 showing at the North Central (Ill.) Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament last weekend marked the first time in five regular-season tournaments this year that the Cardinals did not go 3-1. … Assimos has been named to the all-tournament team in four of the five regular-season tournaments the Cardinals have played in. … Twelve of SMU's 16 wins have come on the road. The Cardinals are 4-5 on their home court. … SMU has won the first set in 14 of its 16 victories this season. … SMU's 22-20 Set 5 loss to Bethel last on Oct. 12 was the highest-scoring fifth set in the last 15 years. … The Cardinals set a pair of single-match records in the rally scoring era in their 3-0 victory over Finlandia on Sept. 2. SMU held the Lions to a record-low four points in their Set 3, 25-4 win, while the Cardinals' 19 service aces were also a single-match record.

Carleton Knights News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
Carleton's loss to ninth-ranked Concordia Saturday was its third straight setback, including back-to-back 3-0 losses to Saint Benedict and Concordia. … Nine of Carleton's 13 wins have come away from home. However, Carleton has not won a true road game this season, going 0-4. The Knights are 9-3 on neutral-site courts. … Carleton enters Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's with a 4-3 record on its home court. … Jessa Youso leads a trio of Knights with 100 or more kills, boasting a team-best 216. Sarah Nielsen has chipped in 164 kills, while Claire Willeck is third with 136. … Alicia Flatt owns the team lead in assists with 644. … Erin Anderson and Becca Hobbs are the team's leaders in aces with 28 and 25, respectively. … Anderson is also the team-leader in digs with 410. She is one of four Carleton players with 100 or more digs. … Carleton is 6-7 in three-set matches, while going 6-2 in four-setters and 1-1 in matches that go the maximum five sets.