NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The last time the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and St. Olaf volleyball teams squared off, the Cardinals needed the maximum five sets, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Oles 3-2.
 
Wednesday evening, the Cardinals and Oles met once again—only this time, Saint Mary's wasn't interested in putting in any overtime.
 
Fueled by Brandi Blattner's (Eyota, Minn.) 20 kills, Saint Mary's collected its 11^th sweep of the season, rolling to a 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at Skoglund Center.
 
Saint Mary's made things look easy in the opening set, cruising to a convincing 25-19 victory. The second set, however, was a different story, as the Cardinal needed some late-set heroics—rallying from down 24-22 with four unanswered points—to take the 26-24 win, and a commanding 2-0 advantage.
 
Riding the momentum generated from their come-from-behind performance in Set 2, the Cardinals were never challenged in the third set, rolling to a sweep-clinching 25-16 victory.
 
Blattner, who has now recorded 20 or more kills three times this season, accounted for 20 of the team's 35 total kills, while hitting a team-leading .421—recording 20 kills with just four errors in 38 total attempts. Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out 18 assists, while Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) chipped in 12. Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) collected a team-best 17 digs and Blattner delivered three of the team's seven service aces.
 
The Cardinals (5-1 MIAC, 17-2 overall)—winners of three straight and 13 of their last 14—head to Aston, Pa., this weekend, squaring off against Keystone, Penn State-Behrend, Neumann, and Rowan as part of the Neumann Invitational.