Box Score  | GameDay Preview

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team played five regular-season tournaments a year ago, and went 3-1 in four of them.

So it was only fitting that the Cardinals opened the 2012 season with a 3-1 performance in the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic.

After dropping their first match of the two-day tournament with a 3-1 setback against Nebraska Wesleyan earlier in the day, the Cardinals got right back on the winning track in their final match of the season — dropping Luther 3-1.

The two teams split the first two sets, with SMU opening with a 25-22 victory, only to have Luther turn the tables with a 25-13 victory in Set 2. From there, however, it was all SMU, as the Cardinals cruised to a 25-17 win in the third set, then completed the victory by racing out to a 10-1 lead en route to a 25-16 fourth-set win.

Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Cardinals' offensive charge, collecting a match-high 18 kills, while hitting an impressive .412. Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) recorded 38 assists and a pair of ace serves, while Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) and Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) chipped in 16 and 11 digs, respectively.

Assimos and Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.) were both named to the Sugar Loaf Classic All-Tournament Team.

Sophia Brown finished with nine kills and Lindsey Ryan recorded all 30 of the team's assists for Luther.

The Cardinals (3-1 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to UW-La Crosse for a nonconference match, before moving on to Mankato, Minn., next weekend to take part in the Bethany Lutheran Tournament. SMU will face UW-Superior and Wartburg on Friday, then square off against UW-Oshkosh and host Bethany Lutheran on Saturday.