NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off a huge 3-2 MIAC win over league-leading Concordia on Saturday, are back in action Wednesday, traveling to St. Olaf for a 7 p.m. contest against the Oles.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2 MIAC | 8-6 Overall)
at St. Olaf Oles (3-2 MIAC | 6-11 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals are coming off a 1-1 weekend, having dropped a 3-0 decision at Saint Benedict last Friday in St. Joseph, Minn., before rebounding by handing Concordia its first conference loss of the season, 3-2, Saturday in Moorhead, Minn. … St. Olaf, meanwhile, was also blanked by Saint Benedict last weekend, falling to the Blazers 3-0 in St. Joseph, Minn., on Saturday.

SMU vs. St. Olaf — Their Last Meeting:
September 28, 2011: The first two sets of its MIAC match against St. Olaf went exactly the way coach Mike Lester figured they would — two sets … two, two-point outcomes. The last two sets, however, didn't quite go according to Lester's script, as St. Olaf used a pair of lengthy runs — one in the third set and one in the fourth — and handed the Cardinals a 3-1 (29-27, 25-27, 25-19, 25-16) conference setback at the SMU Gym.

Up Next:
The Cardinals step out of conference play this weekend, traveling to Platteville, Wis., to take part in the UW-Platteville Invitational. SMU opens the two-day tournament with matches against Coe (6 p.m.) and UW-Platteville (8 p.m.) on Friday, then squares off against UW-La Crosse (10 a.m.) and the University of Dubuque (noon) on Saturday. … St. Olaf, meanwhile, is also headed to a nonconference tournament this weekend, traveling to Waverly, Iowa, for four matches at the Wartburg Invitational. The Oles face Nebraska Wesleyan (2 p.m.) and Wartburg (6 p.m.) on Friday, then taking on Simpson (10 a.m.) and Carthage (2 p.m.) on Saturday.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Cardinals are in the midst of a 12-match road trip — including tournaments at UW-Platteville and UW-Stout. The Cardinals, who do not return home until Oct. 19, when they host nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. match at the SMU Gym. … SMU's 3-2 win over Concordia last Saturday snapped the Cardinals' two-match losing streak. … Each of SMU's last two wins have been 3-2 decisions — having also knocked off St. Catherine in five sets on Sept. 19. … Megan Leisen (Kellogg, Minn.) recorded a career-high 14 kills in SMU's 3-2 win over Concordia Saturday. … Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) — who recorded a season- and career-high 51 attack attempts against St. Catherine on Sept. 19 and led the team with 10 kills against Saint Benedict last Friday — was held to nine kills vs. Concordia, snapping her string of 10 or more kills at four straight matches. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) dished out a season-high 45 assists against Concordia — marking the second time this season the junior setter has eclipsed the 40-assists mark. … Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn.) set a career high with 23 digs against Concordia Saturday. … Nordick enters Wednesday's match at St. Olaf boasting a team-high 126 kills, while Hahn is second with 95. … Assimos has amassed 444 assists for the season and 1,694 for her career. … Assimos equaled her career high with eight kills vs. St. Catherine on Sept. 19. … The Cardinals boasted four players with 10 or more digs vs. Concordia last Saturday, led by Hahn with 23. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) is the team's dig leader with 239. She is one of four Cardinals with 100 or more digs this season — Hahn (157), Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn. / 142) and Assimos (104) are the other three. … SMU has recorded 67 services aces this season, led by Rennie with 17 and Assismos with 13. … Four of the Cardinals' eight wins have been 3-0 sweeps. … SMU has won the first set in all eight of its victories this season. … The Cardinals' 2-0 start to the conference season marked the first time since 2008 that they opened MIAC play with back-to-back wins.

Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Oles enter Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's in the midst of a two-match losing streak. St. Olaf is also just 2-4 in its last six matches — sandwiching a pair of two-match skids around wins against Gustavus (3-2) and Hamline (3-1). … St. Olaf's 3-0 loss to Saint Benedict Saturday marked the seventh time this season the Oles have been swept. … Melissa Burch recorded 11 kills to pace the Oles against Saint Benedict Saturday, while Kersten Bork had 29 assists. … The Oles boast four players with 100 or more kills, led by Burch with 176. Ari Carlson (137), Kelly Heissel (131) and Katie Wolfram (125) are the other three. … Bork has accounted for 606 of the team's 652 assists. … Burch also leads the team with 24 service aces, while Kirstee Rotty has a team-leading 382 digs. Five of the nine St. Olaf players have recorded 100 or more digs this season. … Three of St. Olaf's six wins have gone the maximum five sets. … Following Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's, the Oles will play their next 11 matches on the road.