WINONA, Minn. — Home has been sweet for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team this season.
 
And thanks to Saturday's regular season-ending 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Gustavus, home is exactly where the Cardinals will be when they open conference tournament play.
 
The Cardinals, who won for their eighth time in 10 contests on their home court Saturday—while improving to 7-4 in the MIAC and 19-12 overall in the process—will entertain Bethel in a 7 p.m. conference tournament opening-round match Tuesday.
 
Home win No. 8 Saturday was eerily similar to the previous seven, as the Cardinals posted their eighth 3-0 sweep on their home court, dropping the Gusties 25-20, 25-21 and 25-14.
 
Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.)—one of three seniors honored before the game—collected a team-high 12 kills, while fellow senior Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.) chipped in 10. Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Minn.) and Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) combined for 28 assists—Hanson with 16 and MacVey with 12—and Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a team-leading 28 digs.
 
Taylor Trautman had eight kills and hit .400 in the losing effort for Gustavus, with Marisa Morgan dishing out 25 of the team's 27 assists and Abby Leitch tallying 14 digs.