WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team kicks off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff action on Tuesday, hosting Bethel in an opening-round match at the Saint Mary's Gym. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-4 MIAC | 19-11 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (7-4 MIAC | 18-9 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats * Live Video | MIAC Tournament Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals locked up the No. 4 seed—and the home court match in the MIAC Playoff opening round—with a convincing 3-0 victory over Gustavus Saturday at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Bethel: Bethel took at least 22 points in every set against nationally ranked St. Thomas Saturday, but it was not enough, as the Tommies locked up a share of the MIAC's regular-season title with a 3-0 victory at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Earlier This Year:
• September 24, 2014: Saint Mary's had not played in front of its home fans since the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic in late August. And the Cardinal faithful were in for a real treat. Albeit a very short treat. The Cardinals made quick work of visiting Bethel, cruising needing just over an hour to post a 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• September 18, 2013: Bethel may have been faster out of the starting blocks, but it was the Cardinals who had the better finishing kick, as Saint Mary's used some come-from-behind heroics — including scoring the final three points in the decisive fourth set — to beat the Royals 3-1 at Robertson Center in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The winner of Tuesday's Saint Mary's-Bethel match advances to the MIAC semifinals, squaring off against top-seeded Augsburg at 7 p.m. Thursday in Minneapolis, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
The Cardinals are making their second straight MIAC Playoff appearance—and their 10th post-season appearance in coach Mike Lester's 17-year tenure. … With their seventh win of the season—a 3-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 19—Lester earned his 300th collegiate coaching win. The Cardinal head coach heads into Tuesday's  MIAC Playoff opener vs. Bethel with 312 coaching wins in 17 seasons. … Tuesday's playoff match against Bethel will be the Cardinals' fifth straight home contest. Saint Mary's boasts an 8-2 mark on their home court this season. … All eight of Saint Mary's home wins this season have been 3-0 sweeps. Thirteen of Saint Mary's 19 wins this season have been 3-0 sweeps. … Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) enters tournament play with a team-leading 239 kills. Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn. / 220), Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn. / 205), Alex Peterson (Harmony,  Minn. / 187), Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn. / 188), Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn. / 187) and Jenna Sullivan (Woodbury, Minn. / 145) have also eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. … Peterson tallied a season- and career-high 23 kills against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … Sullivan posted a career-best 18-kill effort against Northwestern (Minn.) on Oct. 17, and notched a career-high 23 digs against the University of Chicago on Oct. 10. … Nordick recorded a season-high 15 kills against Augsburg on Oct. 25. … Nordick ranks No. 2 all-time in total blocks with 415 (13 shy of record-holder Vicki Wilson) and block assists with 316 (15 back of Wilson). … Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa), who posted her top two collegiate assist performances at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational on Oct. 17-18—notching a career-best 42 assists against host UW-Eau Claire, then adding a 36-assist showing against St. Scholastica—leads the team with 607 assists, while Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) has chipped in 573 helpers. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) pushed her team-leading dig total to 493 with 18 digs against Gustavus on Saturday. … Krogstad, who tallied a season-high 28 digs for the second time this season vs. Gustavus in the Cardinals' regular-season finale, has posted 20 or more digs in a match 11 times this season. … Krogstad currently sits second all-time in digs behind Theresa Perrini (2,192), compiling 1,553 in her three years as a Cardinal. … Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) recorded a career-high 20 digs against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … The Cardinals have faced seven teams this season that have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25. The Auggies enter their match vs. Saint Mary's ranked No. 25 in the latest poll. Saint Mary's has also faced nationally ranked foes St. Thomas, Colorado College, Clarkson, Saint Benedict, and the University of Chicago. … The Cardinals finished 12-7 in tournament play this season and are now 28-10 mark in regular-season tournaments over the past two seasons.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
The Royals head into post-season play having won three of their last four matches—Saturday's 3-0 setback to nationally ranked St. Thomas snapped their three-match winning streak. … Since losing to Saint Mary's 3-0 on Sept. 24, the Royals have gone 6-2 in their last eight conference matches. BU's two setbacks during that time came at the hands of the conference's regular-season co-champs—Augsburg and St. Thomas. … Kristin Stern heads into Tuesday's match against Saint Mary's with a team-leading 309 kills. She is one of five BU players with 100 or more kills this season—Carlee Hoppe (289), Tegan LaBerge (243), Nicole Deberry (148) and Kali Johnson (147) are the other four. … Katie Lubben has amassed a team-leading 1,053 assists this season, averaging 10.97 assists-per-set. … Bethel boasts three players with 20 or more service aces—and five with at least 10 aces. Maddison Messner leads the way with 24 aces, one more than LeBerge and two better than Johnson. … Johnson also owns a team-best 326 digs and is one of seven Royals who have eclipsed the 100-dig plateau. … The Royals closed out the season with a 9-2 record on their home court, while going 9-7 away from Robertson Center.