WINONA, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team returns to action — and conference play — on Saturday, as the Cardinals host nationally ranked Concordia in a 3 p.m. match at the SMU Gym.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-4 MIAC | 13-8 Overall)
vs. Concordia Cobbers (4-1 MIAC | 15-3 Overall)

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Cardinals Last Action:
The Cardinals' got 16 kills from Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa), but it was not enough, as Saint Benedict handed SMU a 3-1 MIAC setback Friday evening at the SMU Gym. … Concordia, meanwhile, cruised to a 3-0 conference win over St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn., Friday.

Cardinals vs. Concordia — A Year Ago:
October 9, 2010: Sarah Gardner had nine kills and Brittany Cherwinka finished with 24 assists, but the Cardinals could not slow down 20th-ranked Concordia, as the Cobbers handed SMU a 3-0 conference setback in Moorhead, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals close out their home schedule on Wednesday, hosting Bethel in a 7 p.m. conference match at the SMU Gym. It will be the final home match for SMU seniors Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis.) and Erika Hurley (Chatfield, Minn.). … Concordia, meanwhile, is back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn.,  for a 7 p.m. MIAC match against Macalester.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
With Friday's loss to Saint Benedict, the Cardinals' four conference losses have all been by 3-1 scores. … Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) recorded a team-high 16 kills against Saint Benedict Friday, marking the 19th time in the team's 21 matches that the freshman has recorded 10 or more kills. … Grant, who posted a career-high 26 kills in SMU's 3-2 loss to Clarke at the River City Classic on Sept. 30, has also eclipsed the 20-kill barrier five times. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) collected 29 assists vs. the Blazers Friday, while Sabrina Bushlack (Mapleton, Minn.) tallied 10 kills, and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) and Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) chipped in 12 and 10 digs, respectively. … With  her 16 kills vs. CSB Friday, Grant now leads the team with 326 kills, while Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn. / 170), Bushlack (136) and Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn. / 101) have all accumulated 100 or more kills. … Assimos pushed her team-leading assist total to 687 with her 29 assists Friday, while Rasmussen owns the team lead in digs with 278. … SMU boasts three players — Rasmussen (278), Erika Hurley (Chatfield, Minn. / 258) and Rennie (213) with 200 or more digs, while Grant (158) and Assimos (145) give the Cardinals five players with 100 or more digs. … For the fourth time in as many tournaments this season, the Cardinals went 3-1 at last weekend's River City Classic in Dubuque, Iowa. … The Cardinals are now 25-7 in their last seven regular-season tournaments. … SMU's 3-1 win over Coe last Saturday was just the second loss of the season for the Kohawks and avenged the Cardinals' 3-2 setback vs. Coe on Sept. 23. … After going their first nine contests without a match being decided in four sets, the Cardinals have played five six setters in their last 11 matches. … SMU's 3-0 win over UW-Superior last Saturday was its sixth 3-0 sweep of the season. The Cardinals are a perfect 5-0 in 3-0 matches. … With their 3-2 loss to Clarke on Sept. 30, SMU has now played eight matches that have gone the maximum five sets — going 4-4 in those eight matches. … Grant and Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) were named to the River City Classic All-Tournament team. It was the third time in four tournaments that Assimos has earned all-tournament honors, while Grant collected her second all-tournament selection. … 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.

Concordia Cobbers News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
The Cobbers — ranked No. 10 in the latest AVCA Top 25 — head into Saturday's match at Saint Mary's having won three straight and four of its last four matches. … Concordia's last eight wins — including Friday's win over St. Olaf — have all been by 3-0 scores. All told, the Cobbers have posted 3-0 sweeps in 11 of their 15 wins this season. … CC has been home for just three of its 18 matches, going a perfect 3-0. … Jenna Green picked up a match-high 15 kills and hit .438 against St. Olaf Friday. … Green and Katie Vohnoutka have been the Cobbers' offensive leaders this season, with Green boasting a team-high 246 kills (4.05 kps), while Vohnoutka is close behind with 212. … Amy Seykora accounted for 32 of the Cobbers' 34 assists vs. St. Olaf Friday and now leads the team with 601 assists. … Alison Bruggeman has compiled 235 digs to lead CC, with Green close behind at 230.