WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team is back on its home court this weekend, hosting the seven-team inaugural Cardinal Invitational. SMU opens play against Central (Iowa) on Friday, before squaring off against Augustana and the University of Dubuque on Saturday.

The Cardinal Invitational Field:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (13-5 Overall), Augsburg Auggies (16-2 Overall), Saint Benedict Blazers (14-2 Overall), UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (10-9 Overall), Central (Iowa) Dutch (6-12 Overall), Augustana Vikings (10-4 Overall), University of Dubuque Spartans (7-10 Overall)

The Cardinal Invitational Schedule:
Friday, October 4, 2013:
Court 1: Saint Mary's vs. Central (Iowa), 5 p.m. | Central (Iowa) vs. Augsburg, 7 p.m.
Court 2: Augsburg vs. Augustana, 3 p.m. | Augustana vs. University of Dubuque, 5 p.m. | Saint Benedict vs. University of Dubuque, 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 5, 2013:
Court 1: Central (Iowa) vs. Augustana, 9 a.m. | Saint Mary's vs. University of Dubuque, 11 a.m. | Saint Mary's vs. Augustana, 1 p.m. | Augsburg vs. University of Dubuque, 3 p.m.
Court 2: Saint Benedict vs. Central (Iowa), 11 a.m. | Augsburg vs. UW-Eau Claire, 1 p.m. | Saint Benedict vs. UW-Eau Claire, 3 p.m.

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats (Both Courts) |
Tournament Homepage | Video Preview | Tournament Program

Cardinals Last Action:
Saint Mary's got back on the winning track Wednesday evening, as the Cardinals — led by the serving of Tayler MacVey (Hampton, Minn.) — cruised to a 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Carleton at the SMU Gym.

SMU vs. The Cardinal Invitational Field — Their Last Meeting:
Vs. Central (Iowa) — Oct. 2, 2010: The Cardinals outlasted Central-Iowa 3-2 to complete a perfect 4-0 showing at the MIAC-IIAC Border Battle in Dubuque, Iowa. Brittany Cherwinka (Faribault, Minn.) was the brightest of stars for the Cardinals, recording a career-high eight kills, while also dishing out 47 assists en route to earning all-tournament honors.
Vs. University of Dubuque — Oct. 6, 2012: Megan Leisen (Kellogg, Minn.) and Kaylee Bunne (LeRoy, Minn.) each banged out nine kills in leading the Cardinals to a 3-0 victory and a 3-1 run through the UW-Platteville Invitational in Platteville, Wis.
Vs. Augustana — Oct. 24, 2003: It's been 11 years since SMU and Augustana have met. The Cardinals opened the UW-La Crosse Invitational with an impressive 3-0 win over the Vikings, in La Crosse, Wis., getting 10 kills and 11 digs from Molli Dant (Forest City, Iowa).
Vs. Saint Benedict — Sept. 27, 2013: SMU had plenty of company following its MIAC match against 12th-ranked Saint Benedict, as the Cardinals became the Blazers' 14th victim this season — and the 13th to lose in straight sets. Saint Benedict gave SMU a first-hand look at why the Blazers' are ranked among the nation's best, cruising their 14th win in 15 matches, 3-0 at the SMU Gym.
Vs. Augsburg — Sept. 22, 2012: SMU entered its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest against Augsburg riding a season-high four-match winning streak. The Auggies, however, proved to be the speed bump that derailed the Cardinals, as SMU saw that four-match winning streak come to a screeching halt with a 3-1 setback at the SMU Gym.
Vs. UW-Eau Claire — Oct. 29, 1999: UW-Eau Claire put an end to SMU's latest three-match winning streak, handing the Cardinals a 3-0 setback during the opening day of the UW-River Falls Tournament in River Falls, Wis.

Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Wednesday's 3-0 win over Carleton — SMU's third of seven straight home matches — snapped the Cardinals' season-high three-match losing streak. … With their win over Carleton, the Cardinals evened their record to 4-4 on their home court — SMU is 9-1 on the road, including 7-0 in neutral-site matches. … SMU's 29-27 Set 1 win over the Knights was the longest set of the season for the Cardinals, who also won the opening set for the 15th time in 18 matches this season. … SMU has won the first set in 12 of its 13 wins this season and in 25 of its last 27 victories. … For the third straight match, Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn.) led the team in kills vs. Carleton. Lind recorded a match-high 12 kills, an effort duplicated by teammate Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.). … Lind's 17-kill effort vs. Concordia last Saturday was not only a career high, but also equaled the Cardinals' top individual performance of the season, joining Mary Nordic (Plymouth, Minn.) and Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.). Nordick notched her 17-kill performance against Macalester on Sept. 24, with Fadness earning 17 kills against Concordia (Wis.) on Sept. 20. … Peterson enters this weekend's Cardinal Invitational with a team-leading 192 kills, while Lind (155) and Nordick (110) have also eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) finished with 37 assists vs. Carleton Wednesday, giving the senior setter a team-best 615 assists. … Assimos dished out a season-best 47 assists against Macalester on Sept. 25, and has now recorded 40 or more assists five times this season and 25 times in her four-year collegiate career. … Assimos' 47 assists vs. Macalester were the most since notching 49 helpers in a five-set match against Bethel on Oct. 12, 2011. … Assimos enters tournament play this weekend sitting in fifth place all-time with 2,681 assists — just 64 back of No. 4 Melissa Cowan. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) has amassed a team-best 320 digs this season. She has recorded 10 or more digs in each of the Cardinals' last 10 matches and 16 times in SMU's 18 contests. … Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) leads the team with 28 aces — one more than Assimos — and is second to Krogstad in digs with 167. … The Cardinals' 3-1 loss to Macalester on Sept. 24 snapped their school record-tying 11-match winning streak. … Last  Saturday's 3-2 loss to Concordia is the only time in SMU's first 18 matches that the Cardinals have been stretched to a fifth set. … For the third time in as many tournaments, Assimos was named to the all-tournament team at the Ripon Red Hawk Invitational. Assimos was also named to the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic and North Park Viking Clash all-tournament teams this season. … Krogstad earned her second all-tournament honor of the season, joining Assimos on the Ripon Red Hawk Invitational all-tournament team.

Scouting the University of Dubuque Spartans:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Spartans enter tournament play Friday with a 7-10 overall record. … Dubuque picked up its first Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win of the season on Tuesday, dropping Central (Iowa) 3-2. … The Spartans' 3-2 win over Central (Iowa) snapped their season-high six-match losing streak. … Four of Dubuque's seven wins have now been 3-2 victories — the Spartans were also stretched to the limit in wins over Rockford (twice) and Augustana. … Klaudia Basierak heads into Friday's matches boasting a team-leading 201 kills, with Amy Tranel and Anna Runge second and third with 95 and 92 kills, respectively. … Maggie Schmidt and Hannah Zieser have shared the setting duties for the Spartans, with Schmidt dishing out 270 assists and Zieser adding 245. … Dubuque boasts six players with 10 or more aces this season, led by Tranel (17), Becca Thitgen (16) and Basierak (15). … Morgan Werkheiser is the team-leader in digs with 213. She is one of five Spartans who have eclipsed the 100-dig plateau this season. … Six of Dubuque's 10 losses have been 3-0 sweeps. … The Spartans are 2-6 in three-set matches, 1-2 in four-setters and 4-2 in matches that have gone the maximum five sets.

Scouting the Central (Iowa) Dutch:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Dutch head to Winona, Minn., on the heels of a 3-2 loss to the University of Dubuque. The loss dropped Central (Iowa) to 0-3 in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play and 6-12 overall. … Three of Central's opponents this weekend — Saint Mary's, Augsburg and Saint Benedict — are from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Central is currently 0-2 against the MIAC this season, falling to Augsburg (3-0) and Gustavus (3-0). … The Dutch's loss to Dubuque was their second straight and fourth in their last six contests. … Hannah Welter owns a team-best 141 kills, while Jessica Laflin (128) and Sara Snead (119) have also recorded more than 100 kills this season. … Claire Stewart is the Dutch assist leader with 441, while also boasting a team-leading 20 aces. … Tori Zempel has amassed 267 digs to lead four Central players with 100 or more digs. … Nine of Central's 12 losses have been 3-0 decisions. The Dutch are 2-9 in three-set matches. … The Dutch have played just two four-set matches, going 1-1, while Central owns a 3-2 record in matches that have gone the maximum five sets.

Scouting the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Blugolds head into the weekend — a WIAC match against UW-Platteville on Friday and a pair of matches at the Cardinal Invitational on Saturday — boasting a 2-1 conference mark and a 10-9 overall record. … Despite Wednesday's 3-0 loss to UW-La Crosse, the Blugolds head into the weekend 6-3 in their last nine matches. … Both of UW-Eau Claire's opponents Saturday at the Cardinal Invitational — Augsburg and Saint Benedict — are from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-EC has already faced six teams from the MIAC, going 2-4 — the Blugolds have beaten Bethel (3-0) and Augsburg (3-1), while falling to Concordia (3-1), Saint Benedict (3-0), St. Thomas (3-0) and Gustavus (3-1). … Kelly Schuh has accumulated a team-leading 220 kills through 19 matches, with Katrina Raskie (148) and Alexis Wong (100) also owning 100 or more kills. … Jenna Smits and Maggie Hocombe have been the Blugolds' top two setters, with Smits boasting a team-high 374 assists, while Holcombe has added 248. … The Blugolds have collected 100 aces, with Shuh (25) and Lauren Sutherland (24) accounting for nearly half of them. … UW-Eau Claire boasts three players with 100 or more digs, led by Sutherland with 313. … The Blugolds have not played a five-set match this season, going 6-6 in three-set matches and 4-3 in four-setters. … UW-EC is 2-1 on its home court, while going 8-8 away from home — including 6-5 in neutral-site matches.

Scouting the Saint Benedict Blazers:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Including their three matches this weekend, the Blazers have played four of their last five matches in Winona, Minn., having already beaten SMU 3-0 on the Cardinals' home court in their conference match last Friday. … The Blazers enter this weekend's Cardinal Invitational against Saint Mary's ranked No. 10 in the latest AVCA Top 25 national poll. The Blazers have appeared in the AVCA Poll each of the last five weeks, climbing as high as No. 10 twice. … CSB enters the weekend on the heels of a 3-0 conference loss to defending national champion St. Thomas on Wednesday. … The Blazers' loss to UST snapped their three-match winning streak — a streak in which CSB did not lose a set. … The Blazers' conference-opening 3-0 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 18 snapped CSB's season-opening 11-match winning streak. … Thirteen of Saint Benedict's 14 wins, and 15 of its 16 matches, have been 3-0 sweeps — only a 3-1 win over Northwestern (Minn.) has gone more than three sets. … CSB's offense is led by a pair of Lexis — Leix Rinde owns a team-best 159 kills and a .365 attack percentage, while Lexi Alm is second with 143 kills. … Sophie Stangl has also surpassed the 100-kill plateau, sitting third on team with 102 kills. … Taya Kockelman has accounted for a team-best 545 of the Blazers' 663 assists. … CSB boasts four players with 10 or more aces, led by Alm (22), Victoria Nass (19) and Chelsea Rachel (19). … Rachel is also the team's dig leader with 169, while Mary Franz owns a team-best 39 blocks. … Saint Benedict owns a 6-1 record at home, while going 8-1 on the road. CSB has played just two neutral-sit matches, winning both.

Scouting the Augsburg Auggies:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Augsburg enters this weekend's Cardinal Invitational as one of the field's hottest teams, having won 12 straight to improve to 16-2 overall. … The Auggies are currently ranked No. 19 in the latest AVCA Top 25. It marks the first time Augsburg has been ranked in the AVCA's national poll since the poll's inception in 1992. … Augsburg pushed its MIAC record to 5-0 on Wednesday, beating Bethel 3-0. … The Auggies have dropped just two sets during its current 12-match winning streak — beating UW-River Falls 3-1 and Hamline 3-1. … Saturday's match vs. UW-Eau Claire will be the second meeting between the Auggies and the Blugolds — UWEC handed Augsburg one of its two losses, 3-1, at the Augsburg Invitational on Sept. 6. … Ashley Peper and Colleen Ourada, who recorded their seventh and eighth double-doubles of the season, respectively, against Bethel on Wednesday — Peper tallying 11 kills and 16 digs, while Ourada added 12 kills and 10 digs — lead the Auggies with 287 and 236 kills, respectively. … Emily McCourt has racked up a team-high 670 assists in 17 matches, while also owning a team-leading 17 aces. … Katelyn Berens — who reached 1,000 career digs with her second of nine digs against Bethel — is the team-leader with 337 digs, and Taylor Trautman has collected a team-best 41 blocks. … Twelve of Augsburg's 16 wins have been 3-0 sweeps, while on the flip side, Augsburg has not been swept this season — falling to Colorado College (3-2) and UW-Eau Claire (3-1) to account for its two losses. … Augsburg is 6-1 on its home court and 10-1 on the road — including 7-0 in neutral-site matches.

Scouting the Augustana Vikings:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Vikings enter Friday's play boasting a 10-4 overall record and riding a two-match winning streak — including Wednesday's come-from-behind 3-2 win over Illinois Wesleyan. … Along with their two-match winning streak, Augustana has won six of its last seven matches — the lone blemish a 3-2 loss at Central (Iowa) on Sept. 20. … Martha Murray and Dory Dudley have been the Vikings' 1-2 offensive punch, with Murray leading the team with 136 kills, while Dudley has chipped in 130. … Jordan Hampel and Hannah Lindaman have shared the setting details for the Vikings, dishing out 283 and 205 assists, respectively. … Augustana has accumulated 112 aces this season, led by Hampel with 29 and Lindaman with 16. … The Vikings boast four players with 100 or more digs, with Kylie Siebert leading the way with 258. … Three of the Vikings' four losses have gone the maximum five sets. On the flip side, Augustana is 4-0 in three-set matches and 5-1 in four-setters. … The Vikings are 7-2 on their home court, going 3-2 on the road.