Box Score | GameDay Preview

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — For the first time in its first 10 matches, the Saint Mary's University volleyball team played a four-set match Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their first four-setter did not end the way coach Mike Lester had hoped, as Augsburg outlasted SMU 3-1 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match.

The Cardinals dropped the first two sets, 24-22 and 26-24, before rebounding with a 25-19 win in the third. The Auggies, however, outlasted SMU in the four set, securing the victory with a 27-25 victory.

"It was a competitve, hard-fought match," said SMU coach Mike Lester. "Both teams did some very good things at times, but there was a lot of inconsistencies as well.

"We had some players step in and do a really nice job, which was good to see."

Kara Grant (Peosta, Iowa) led a trio of Cardinals in double figures, as the freshman outside hitter banged home 11 kills, while Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) and Sabrina Bushlack (Mapleton, Minn.) each chipped in 10. Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) dished out 38 assists, while also picking up 12 digs. Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.), meanwhile, led the team in digs with 13.

The Cardinals, who fall to 1-1 in the MIAC and 7-3 overall, are back in action Wednesday, as they travel to St. Paul, Minn., for a conference match at St. Catherine.