MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Augsburg for a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against the Auggies.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0 MIAC | 7-2 Overall)
at Augsburg Auggies (0-1 MIAC | 5-5 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals kicked off their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season in impressive fashion, cruising to a 3-0 victory over Macalester Wednesday at the SMU Gym. … Augsburg, meanwhile, came out on the short end of its conference opener Wednesday, falling to Saint Benedict 3-1 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Cardinals vs. the Auggies — Their Last Meeting:
September 15, 2010: Sarah Gardner (Rochester, Minn.), coming off her second all-tournament performance last weekend at the Wartburg Invitational, collected a match-high 13 kills and hit .333 to lead the Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over Augsburg at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a key, 7 p.m. showdown with St. Catherine. … Augsburg, meanwhile, is also on the road on Wednesday, as the Auggies travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference match at Macalester.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
The Cardinals have not lost back-to-back matches all season. In fact, after each loss, SMU has rebounded with a 3-0 victory — including Wednesday's 3-0 win over Macalester that came on the heels of a 3-2 loss to Bowdoin at last weekend's Endicott (Mass.) Tournament. … Both of SMU's losses this season have gone the maximum five sets. … SMU is 4-0 in three-set matches and the Cardinals have not played a match that has been decided in four sets. … Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) collected a match-high 10 kills vs. Macalester Wednesday — it as the fifth time this season the freshman has led the team in kills. … Grant has recorded 10 or more kills in eight of the team's nine matches. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) dished out 23 assists in the Cardinals' 3-0 win vs. Macalester Wednesday, while also equaling her season- and career-highs with eight kills. … Erika Hurley (Chatfield, Minn.) collected 12 digs vs. the Scots Wednesday and has now recorded 10 or more digs in eight of SMU's nine matches. … Grant owns the team lead in kills with 111 (3.17 kps), while Assimos is the team leader in assists (226) and Hurley paces the squad with 147 digs. … As a team, SMU recorded nine service aces vs. Macalester — including five by Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn.) — and has now collected 81 aces this season. … The Cardinals recorded their second straight 3-1 tournament showing last weekend at the Endicott Tournament. … With their 3-1 effort, SMU is now 19-5 in its last six regular-season tournaments combined. … Assimos (Sugar Loaf Classic), Amy Kujak (River Falls, Wis. / Sugar Loaf Classic) and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn. / Endicott Tournament) have been named to the all-tournament teams in SMU's first two tournaments this season. … 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.

Augsburg Auggies News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
After opening the season with wins in four of their first five matches, the Auggies have won just once in their last four matches — including their current two-game losing streak. … Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the seventh home match of the season for the Auggies. Augsburg's lone road matches came at the Pomona-Pitzer Tournament in Claremont, Calif., where the Auggies went 3-1. … Colleen Ourada has been the offensive leader for the Auggies, compiling 102 kills (2.91kps), while Emily McCourt has dished out 346 of the team's 387 assists through 10 matches. … Katelyn Berens is the team leader in digs with 141. … Augsburg is 3-3 in games decided by three sets, while going 1-1 in both four- and five-setters.