NAPERVILLE, Ill. — When the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team squared off against Saint Benedict and Concordia last weekend—a 3-2 loss to the Blazers and a 3-0 win over the Cobbers—it was arguably the toughest back-to-back test of the season for the Cardinals.
Until Saturday, that is.
A week after playing two of the top teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in less than a 24-hour span, the Cardinals squared off against two of the nation's best—in a three-hour span—during the second day of the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament.
The Cardinals, coming off a pair of 3-1 losses to North Central and Coe on Friday night, opened play Saturday against 11th-ranked Carthage, before taking the court against the nation's top-ranked team, Washington (Mo.) University, in its second match of the day.
And two of the nation's best got the better of the Cardinals, as both Carthage and Washington (Mo.) University handed Saint Mary's 3-0 setbacks Saturday morning.
Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) recorded a team-best eight kills against Carthage, with
Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.) chipping in seven kills and
Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) adding nine digs.
Peterson led the way against the top-ranked Bears, recording eight kills and hitting .286, while
Maddie Hess (Lewiston, Minn.) accounted for 14 of the team's 19 assists and Krogstad recorded a team-best 14 digs.
The Cardinals (16-7 overall) return to conference play on Wednesday, hosting Augsburg in a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
