WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team headed into Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with  St. Catherine mired in a three-match losing streak.
 
And in dire need of a pick-me-up.
 
Check—and check.
 
But there was nothing easy about the Cardinals' 3-0 conference victory over the Wildcats.
 
In fact, after Saint Mary's breezed through the first set, 25-15, the Cardinals and Wildcats settled in for a real knock-down, drag-out free-for-all.
 
The Cardinals survived three set points and recorded the final two points of the second set to outlast St. Catherine 29-27 in grabbing a 2-0 advantage. And the third set proved to be as tight as the second, as Saint Mary's again scored the set's final two points, breaking a 24-24 deadlock and lifting the Cardinals to a sweep-clinching 26-24 victory.
 
Jenna Sullivan (Woodbury, Minn.), Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn.) and Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.) all recorded a team-best nine kills for the Cardinals, who hit .240 as a team. Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out a team-leading 22 assists, with Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) chipping in 18, while Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) and Sullivan tallied 15 and 12 digs, respectively.
 
Jana Christensen posted a match-high 11 kills, Karsee Knutson and Ashley Kahlow recorded 16 and 14 assists, respectively, and Bailey Auseth finished with 13 digs in the losing effort for St. Catherine (0-8 MIAC, 9-15 overall).
 
The Cardinals (5-3 MIAC, 17-11 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they host nationally ranked Augsburg in a 3 p.m. conference match at the Saint Mary's Gym.