Box Score  | GameDay Preview

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team has made a habit of getting off to fast starts.

In fact, in 10 of the Cardinals' 11 wins, SMU has opened the match with a victory in the first set.

Unfortunately for coach Mike Lester, there was no fast start Wednesday against Bethel — and, as a result, no win, either.

Bethel raced out to a 25-16 win in the first set and never looked back, beating SMU 25-23 in Set 2 and 25-15 in the third set en route to the 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory.

The Cardinals could not seem to find their offensive rhythm against the Royals, hitting just .108 as a team. Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.) finished with a team-high seven kills, while Mary Nordic (Plymouth, Minn.) and Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) each chipped in six kills each. Assimos also tallied 23 assists, with Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) notching 11 digs, one more than both Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) and Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.).

Kali Johnson recorded a match-high 11 kills and was one of three Royals reaching doubles figures, as Caitie Helle and Amy Baumetz each chipped in 10.

The Cardinals (3-4 MIAC, 11-9 overall) are back in action this weekend, traveling to Menomonie, Wis., to take part in the UW-Stout Invitational. SMU squares off against UW-River Falls (3:30 p.m.) and St. Catherine (5:30 p.m.) on Friday, before facing UW-Stevens Point (noon) and UW-Stout (2 p.m.) on Saturday.