WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team 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.
 
"It was a great win—a great performance top-to-bottom," said Saint Mary's coach Mike Lester. "I wouldn't say it was easy, but the ladies certainly made it look easy—they were extremely efficient all night."
 
Saint Mary's took control from the opening serve and never let Bethel get on track, holding Bethel to just 15 points in each of the first two matches, before completing the sweep with a 25-20 Set 3 victory.
 
Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn.) and Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.) were a devastating 1-2 punch for the Cardinals, collecting 14 and 13 kills, respectively, and Peterson boasted a whopping .765 attack percentage. Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) finished with 20 assists and Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) chipped in 19, while Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Il.) tallied 14 digs, and Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn.) and Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) posted four and three blocks, respectively.
 
Bethel (1-1 MIAC, 11-5 overall) was led by Tegan LaBarge with nine kills and Katie Lubben with 14 assists.
 
The Cardinals (1-1 MIAC, 10-5 overall)—who hit .410 as a team—return to conference play on Saturday, hosting Macalester in a 3 p.m. match at the Saint Mary's Gym.