WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team is back in action on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Augsburg in a 3 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at the SMU Gym.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-0 MIAC | 7-4 Overall)
vs. Augsburg Auggies (0-1 MIAC | 8-6 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
The Cardinals improved to 2-0 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday, outlasting St. Catherine 3-2 at the SMU Gym. … … Augsburg, meanwhile, has been off since last Saturday, when the Auggies closed out a 2-2 showing at the Cornell Invitational with a 3-2 loss to Northwestern and a 3-1 setback vs. Wartburg in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

SMU vs. Augsburg — Their Last Meeting:
September 17, 2011: For the first time in its first 10 matches, SMU played a four-set match. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their first four-setter did not end the way coach Mike Lester had hoped, as Augsburg outlasted SMU 3-1 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match in Minneapolis, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are off until next weekend, when they hit the road for conference matches at Saint Benedict on Friday and at Concordia on Saturday. … Augsburg, meanwhile, is back on the court on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with St. Catherine.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Saturday's match against Augsburg is the second straight home match for the Cardinals, who are 4-1 at home this season. … Following Saturday's match, the Cardinals will play 12 straight matches on the road — including tournaments at UW-Stout and UW-Platteville. SMU does play on its home court again until Oct. 19, when they host nationally ranked St. Thomas in a 7 p.m. match. … Wednesday's 3-2 win over St. Catherine was SMU's fourth straight victory. … The Cardinals are 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2008, when SMU opened its MIAC schedule with three straight wins. … Wednesday's 3-2 win over St. Catherine Wednesday was the Cardinals' first match that went the maximum five sets. SMU was 5-7 in five-setters in 2011. … SMU has won the first set in all seven of its victories this season. … Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) led the team in kills for the second straight match Saturday, collecting 14 against the Wildcats. … Nordick finished Wednesday's match vs. SCU with a season- and career-high 51 attack attempts. … Colleen Seba (Maple Grove, Minn.) equaled her career high with 11 kills vs. St. Catherine Wednesday. … Jenna Sullivan (Woodbury, Minn.) was held to six kills Wednesday, snapping her streak of four straight matches with 10 or more kills. … Nordick enters Saturday's match vs. Augsburg boasting a team-high 95 kills, while Carissa Hahn (Hutchinson, Minn.) is second with 73. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) collected a season-high 42 assists vs. St. Catherine Wednesday, giving the junior setter 339 assists for the season and 1,589 for her career. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) picked up 23 digs vs. St. Catherine — one shy of her career high — and now owns a team-best 191 digs this season. Hahn is second in digs with 113 and Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) is third with 112. … SMU has recorded 53 services aces this season, led by Cathy Rennie (Pine Island, Minn.) with 14 and Krogstad with 11. … Four of the Cardinals' six wins have been 3-0 sweeps.

Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Last Saturday's back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Wartburg was just the second time this season the Auggies have dropped two straight matches. … Last Saturday's setback vs. Northwestern marked the second time this season the Auggies have been stretched to a fifth set. The Auggies are now 0-2 in five-setters, having also lost 3-2 to Saint Benedict on Sept. 12. … Augsburg's last seven wins have all been by 3-1 decisions. … Colleen Ourada and Ashley Peper have been the Auggies' offensive leaders, with Ourada owning a team-best 188 kills, while Peper is second with 168. … Peper is also hitting a team-best .292. … Emily McCourt has dished out a team-leading 570 assists and also leads the team with 20 aces. … Emily Sievers has amassed a team-best 186 digs and is one of four Auggies with 100 or more digs. Ourada (165), Mackensie Menke (134) and Peper (110) are the other three. … Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the sixth of seven straight road matches for the Auggies, who do not return home until Sept. 29, when they host Gustavus in a 5 p.m. match.