WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team kicks off a busy conference weekend on Friday, as the Cardinals host nationally ranked Saint Benedict in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup at the SMU Gym.

The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1 MIAC | 12-3 overall) vs. Saint Benedict Blazers (2-1 MIAC | 13-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got 17 kills from Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.), but it was not enough, as SMU suffered its first conference loss of the season Tuesday, falling to Macalester 3-1 at the Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn. … Saint Benedict had no trouble improving to 2-1 in conference play on Wednesday, as the Blazer coasted to a 3-0 MIAC win over Carleton in Northfield, Minn.

SMU vs. Saint Benedict — Their Last Meeting:
September 28, 2012: The Cardinals, squaring off against two of the top teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on back-to-back days, could not get their offense on track against the Blazers, as CSB cruised to a 3-0 conference victory in St. Joseph, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are right back in action on Saturday, as SMU entertains Concordia in a 3 p.m. conference match at the SMU Gym. … Saint Benedict does not return to the court until Wednesday, when the Blazers return home to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC match against defending national champion St. Thomas.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Friday's match against Saint Benedict is the first of seven straight home matches for the Cardinals, who are 3-2 on their home court this season. … The Cardinals' 3-1 loss to Macalester Tuesday snapped their school record-tying 11-match winning streak. … With their 27-25 Set 1 win vs. the Scots, SMU has now been victorious in the opening set in 12 of its 15 matches this season — including 11 of the Cardinals' 12 wins. … SMU has won the first set in 24 of its last 26 wins. … Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) recorded a season-high 17 kills and hit a career-best .616 against Macalester Tuesday. … Nordick's 17-kill effort equals the Cardinals' single-match season-high. Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) tallied 17 kills against Concordia (Wis.) on Sept. 20. … Fadness and Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.) each chipped in 15 kills against the Scots Tuesday. … Lexi Assimos (Northbrook, Ill.) — the reigning MIAC Setter of the Week — dished out a season-best 47 assists against Macalester Tuesday. The 47 assists were Assimos' most since notching 49 helpers in a five-set match against Bethel on Oct. 12, 2011. … Assimos has now recorded 40 or more assists in a match four times this season and 24 times in her four-year collegiate career. … Peterson enters this weekend's matches against Saint Benedict and Concordia with a team-best 157 kills, with Nordick and Fadness closing in on the 100-kill plateau with 92 and 90 kills, respectively. … Assimos owns a team-high 512 assists and Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) is the team's dig leader with 268. … Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) boasts a team-leading 26 aces and is second to Krogstad with 143 digs. … The Cardinals have yet to play a five-set match this season, going 7-1 in three-set matches and 5-2 in four-setters. … 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. … With their 3-0 win over Lakeland on Aug. 30, the Cardinals won their season-opener for the third straight season.

Scouting The Saint Benedict Blazers:
2013 Roster | 2013 Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Saint Benedict plays five of its next six matches in Winona, Minn. After Friday's showdown with the Cardinals, the Blazers return to Saint Mary's next weekend to take part in the Cardinal Invitational, where they will face the University of Dubuque, Central (Iowa) and UW-Eau Claire. … The Blazers enter Friday night's match against Saint Mary's ranked No. 12 in the latest AVCA Top 25 national poll. The Blazers have appeared in the AVCA Poll each of the last four weeks, climbing as high as No. 10. … The Blazers' conference-opening 3-0 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 18 snapped CSB's season-opening 11-match winning streak — and is the only blemish on the Blazers' schedule thus far. … Twelve of Saint Benedict's 13 wins, and 13 of its 14 matches, have been 3-0 sweeps — only a 3-1 win over Northwestern (Minn.) went more than three sets. … Lexi Rinde recorded a team-best 14 kills against Carleton Wednesday — it was the fourth straight match and eighth time this season the junior has recorded 10 or more kills. … Taya Kockelman, the NCAA Division III assist leader, eclipsed the 40-assist mark for the fourth time in the last five matches with her 40-assist effort against Carleton. … Kockelman has now posted 481 assists and is averaging a nation-leading 12.03 assists-per-set. … Rinde heads into Friday's match against Saint Mary's boasting a team-leading 140 kills, while also leading the squad with a .392 attack percentage. … Lexi Alm has also eclipsed the 100-kill plateau, owning 129 kills in 13 matches, while also leading the team with 21 aces. … Chelsea Rachel (143), Alm (124) and Victoria Nass (120) have all posted 100 or more digs this season. … With their victory Wednesday, Saint Benedict has now beaten Carleton eight straight times — and the Blazers have not dropped a set vs. the Knights since 2008.