WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off a 3-0 loss to seventh-ranked St. Thomas on Friday, is right back on the court Saturday, as the Cardinals host Hamline in a 3 p.m conference match at the SMU Gym.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5 MIAC | 12-13 Overall)
Vs. Hamline Pipers (1-7 MIAC | 18-9 Overall

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Last Action:
The Cardinals could not keep pace with seventh-ranked St. Thomas, as the Tommies made SMU their 24th straight victim Friday, collecting a 3-0 conference win at the SMU Gym. … Hamline, meanwhile, picked up its first conference win of the season Friday, knocking off Macalester 3-1 in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Hamline — Their Last Meeting:
October 22, 2011: Megan Schulz (Andover, Minn.) — filling in at libero for injured Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) — made her first collegiate start a memorable one, collecting 11 digs in sparking the Cardinals to a 3-0 MIAC win over the Pipers in St. Paul, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back on their home court for Dig Pink night on Wednesday, as SMU hosts Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference match. … Hamline, meanwhile, returns home on Wednesday, as the Pipers square off against league-leading and nationally ranked St. Thomas at 7 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Saturday's match against Hamline is the second of four straight home matches to close out the regular season for the Cardinals. … Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals against St. Thomas Friday, collecting a match-high 10 kills. It was the third straight match — and 11th time this season — the sophomore middle has recorded 10 or more kills. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) — who collected 44 assists against UW-Stout and 42 against UW-River Falls at last weekend's UW-Stout Invitational — tallied 22 assists vs. the seventh-ranked Tommies Friday. … Assimos' 44 assists vs. UW-Stout were one shy of her season-high 45 assists recorded against Concordia on Sept. 29. … Assimos has now recorded 40 or more assists four times this season and enters Saturday's match vs. Hamline with a team-best 711 assists. … Assimos is now 39 assists shy of 2,000 for her career. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) recorded 17 digs vs. St. Thomas, pushing her team-leading dig total to 448. … Both Krogstad and Tara Rasmussen (Kasson, Minn.) each enjoyed career performances against UW-Stout, as Krogstad collected a career-best 36 digs, while Rasmussen chipped in a career-high 30. … Krogstad is one of five Cardinals with 100 or more digs. … With her 10 kills vs. St. Thomas, Nordick enters Saturday's match with Hamline owning a team-leading 224 kills, while Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn.) is second with 179. … SMU has recorded 126 services aces this season — including 30 at the UW-Stout Invitational last weekend. Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) is the team-leader with 27 aces, with Krogstad second with 22 and Assimos third with 20. … Five of the Cardinals' 12 wins have been 3-0 sweeps. SMU's 3-2 losses to St. Catherine and UW-Stout last weekend were its first five-set setbacks of the season — the Cardinals are now 2-2 in matches that have gone the distance. … SMU has won the first set in 11 of its 12 wins. The Cardinals' 3-1 win over the University of Dubuque at the UW-Platteville Invitational on Oct. 6 marks the only time this season the Cardinals have won a match when not winning the opening set. … 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 Hamline Pipers:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the final road match of the season for the Pipers, who host St. Thomas on Wednesday and Augsburg on Friday in their final two regular-season matches. … After opening the season with 12 wins in their first 13 matches, the Pipers are 6-8 in their last 14 matches. … Friday's 3-1 win over Macalester snapped the Pipers' seven-match conference losing streak. … Seventeen of Hamline's 18 wins have come in nonconference play. … HU finished 15-1 in regular-season tournament play this season with a 3-1 showing at the UW-La Crosse Invitational last weekend. … Sam Greeney-Hamlin banged home a match-high 18 kills, while Stephanie Kaup chipped in 13. … With her 18 kills vs. Macalester, Greeney-Hamlin pushed her team-leading kill total to 220, with Kaup a close second with 205. … Becka Mozes dished out 30 assists Friday to push her season total to a team-best 550 assists. … Mozes also leads the team with 42 aces, while Lynsey Reimer leads the team with 442 digs. … Mozes is one of five Pipers with 100 or more digs. … Ten of Hamline's 18 wins have been 3-0 sweeps, while the Pipers also boast a 4-1 record in five-set matches. … Twelve of HU's 18 wins have come on the road, where the Pipers own a 12-4 record. Hamlie is 5-5 on its home court.