ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team, coming off a 3-1 showing at the UW-Platteville Invitational last weekend, returns to conference action on Wednesday, traveling to Bethel for a 7 p.m. contest against the Royals.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC | 10-8 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (3-3 MIAC | 14-8 Overall

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Last Action:
The Cardinals put together a 3-1 record at the UW-Platteville Invitational last weekend, as SMU beat Coe (3-1), UW-La Crosse (3-0) and the University of Dubuque (3-1), while falling to host UW-Platteville (3-0). … Bethel, meanwhile, is coming off a 2-2 effort at the Wartburg Invitational last weekend. The Royals beat Nebraska Wesleyan (3-1) and Gustavus (3-2), while falling to Simpson (3-2) and Carthage (3-0).

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
October 12, 2011: Mike Lester is as competitive as they come, and moral victories aren't exactly what he is known for. But when his team came out on the short end of a 3-2 MIAC decision to league-leading Bethel Wednesday night, it was pretty hard for the Cardinal head coach to feel too bad about his team's performance. After all, it may have been one of their best of the season — especially in the fifth and decisive final set.

Up Next:
The Cardinals close out the nonconference portion of their schedule this weekend, traveling to Menomonie, Wis., to take part in the UW-Stout Invitational. SMU opens tournament play against UW-River Falls (3:30 p.m.) and St. Catherine (5:30 p.m.) on Friday, before squaring off against UW-Stevens Point (Noon) and UW-Stout (2 p.m.) on Saturday. … Bethel, meanwhile, heads to San Antonio, Texas, this weekend for the Trinity Tournament. The Royals will paly Central-Iowa (3 p.m.) and Trinity (7 p.m.) on Friday and face Austin College (10 a.m.) and Our Lady of the Lake University (12:45 p.m.) on Saturday.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Wednesday's match at Bethel is the eighth straight road match for the Cardinals, who are in the midst of a 12-match road swing. The Cardinals finally return home on Oct. 19, when they host nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. match at the SMU Gym. … With their 3-1 showing at the UW-Platteville Tournament last weekend, the Cardinals have now gone 8-4 in their three regular-season tournaments this season. … The Cardinals enter Wednesday's match vs. Bethel having won four of their last six matches. … The Cardinals boasted five players with 20 or more kills in their four tournament matches last weekend — led by Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn.) with 30. Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.) added 27, followed by Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn. / 26), Megan Leisen (Kellogg, Minn. / 25) and Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn. / 22). … With her 26 kills last weekend, Nordick pushed her team-leading kill total to 161, while Hahn is also over the century mark in kills this season with 136. … Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) recorded a career-high 21 assists in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over the University of Dubuque on Saturday. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) enters Wednesday's match vs. Bethel with a team-best 547 assists, giving her 1,797 for her three-year collegiate career. … Assimost has eclipsed the 40-assist mark twice this season — including a season-high 45 assists against Concordia on Sept. 29. … Assimos equaled her career high with eight kills vs. St. Catherine on Sept. 19. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) pushed her team-high dig total to 310 with 61 digs at the UW-Platteville Invitational. … Krogstad is one of five Cardinals with 100 or more digs. She and Hahn (211) have both eclipsed the 200-dig mark this season. … SMU has recorded 93 services aces this season, led by Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) with 22 and Krogstad with 15. … Five of the Cardinals' 11 wins have been 3-0 sweeps. The Cardinals are also unbeaten in five-set matches, going 2-0. … Last Saturday's 3-1 win over the University of Dubuque marked the first 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 Bethel Royals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
With their 2-2 showing at the Wartburg Invitational, the Royals enter Wednesday's match vs. Saint Mary's having won five of their last seven matches. … Wednesday's match is the eighth home match for the Royals, who are 6-1 on their home court this season. … Bethel boasts four players with 100 or more kills, led by Caitie Helle and Amy Baumentz, who have each accumulated 228 kills. Nicole Ackatz (189) and Nicole Deberry (116) are the other two. … Cierra Nickel owns a team-best 741 assists, averaging 9.75 assists-per-set. … Nickel is also the team-leader in service aces with 26, while Val Smith has amassed a whopping 493 digs. She is one of five Royals with 100 or more digs through 22 matches. Kalie Johnson (190), Nickel (153), Mallory Rundquist (125) and Rachel Bloom (110) are the other four. … Six of Bethel's 14 wins have been 3-0 sweeps. The Royals have also played five, five-set matches this season, going 2-3.