COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — As if playing the seventh-ranked team in the country wasn't tough enough, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team had to turn around and face Clarkson — the 17th-ranked team in the country — in its final match of the Colorado College Classic Saturday.
 
And the end result was virtually a carbon copy.
 
Which was not a good thing for coach Mike Lester and the Cardinals.
 
For the second straight match, the Cardinals fell into a 2-0 hole, won the third set, only to come up short in the fourth, as Clarkson handed Saint Mary's a 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 17-25, 25-20) setback.
 
The Cardinals, who closed out the tournament with a 2-2 record — having beaten East Texas Baptist (3-2) and Tufts (3-0) on Friday — got a team-high 16 kills from Cassidy Bittle (Winona, Minn.). Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn.), who tallied a team-best 15 kills vs. Colorado College earlier in the day, chipped in 11 kills vs. Clarkson, while Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) contributed 20 digs. Taylor MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) and Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out 21 and 14 assists, respectively, and Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn.) tallied six blocks.
 
Victoria Kirkemo finished with a match-high 19 kills to lead three Clarkson players with 10 or more kills. Kirstie Shurie recorded 46 assists and Evanne Jimenez added 23 digs for the Golden Knights.
 
The Cardinals (5-3 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to La Crosse, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference match against UW-La Crosse.