WINONA, Minn. — And the trend continues for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team.
For the third straight match, the Cardinals got off to a bit of a slow start, and then hammered down on the accelerator en route to a 3-0 victory.
This time around, it was Carroll that fell victim to the Cardinals onslaught, as Saint Mary's spotted the Pioneers the early leads, only to come storming back en route to a 3-0 victory Saturday during the second day of the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic.
Saint Mary's grabbed a 1-0 lead with a 25-14 win in the opening set, before falling behind 7-1 and 10-3 early in the second set. A 7-0 run, however, pulled the Cardinals even, and they used another run late—this time a 6-4 set-ending burst—to win Set 2 25-23. The Pioneers scored three of the first four points in the third set, but from there it was all Saint Mary's, as the Cardinals completed their third straight Sugar Loaf sweep with a 25-20 victory.
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) hammered out a match-high 15 kills and hit .446, while
Bailey Joens (Osage, Iowa) added seven kills.
Lillian Braun (Kasson, Minn.) accounted for 15 of the team's 27 assists and added five ace serves, and Blattner,
Maddie Hess (Lewiston, Minn.), and
Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) all chipped in 10 digs.
The Cardinals (3-0 overall) close out tournament play at 4 p.m. with a match against Luther.
