WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team returns to nonconference action on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain UW-Eau Claire in a 7 p.m. match at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-0 Overall) vs. UW-Eau Claire Blugolds (3-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals swept through the two-day, season-opening Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic last weekend, beating Finlandia, St. Norbert, Carroll, and Luther—all by 3-0 counts | FU Recap * SNC Recap * Carroll Recap * Luther Recap
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds are coming off a 3-1 showing in their four matches at the University of Chicago Tournament last weekend in Chicago, Ill. UWEC dropped a 3-0 decision to Calvin in the opener, before rebounding with wins over Rockford (3-0), U. of Chicago (3-1), and Dominican (3-2)| Calvin Recap * Rockford Recap * Chicago Recap * Dominican Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Eau Claire—Their Last Meeting:
• September 1, 2015 * Eau Claire, Wis.: The Cardinals were good in Set 1 of their nonconference season-opener against UW-Eau Claire.  They were even better in Set 2. And, after a brief stumble in the third set, the Cardinals returned to form in Set 4 in handing the Blugolds a 3-1 nonconference setback at Zorn Arena | Recap 
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals head to St. Paul, Minn., this weekend, squaring off against Luther, Central-Iowa, Crown, and Nebraska Wesleyan at the St. Catherine Invitational.
• UW-Eau Claire: The Blugolds are back on the road this weekend, traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to face UM-Morris, Northwestern (Minn.), St. Thomas, and Augsburg as part of the Augsburg Invitational.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Cardinals did not lose a set in their four Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic matches last weekend, sweeping Finlandia, St. Norbert, Carroll, and Luther. … With their 4-0 showing last weekend, the Cardinals are off to their best start since 2008, when Saint Mary's opened 7-0. …  As a team, the Cardinals banged out 152 kills and his .229 in their four Sugar Loaf Classic matches last weekend. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals, collecting 47 kills and hitting .351. … Blattner led the team in kills in all four matches last weekend—including a season- and career-high 15 against Carroll last Saturday. … Lexi Barth () chipped in 20 kills in her first four collegiate matches. … Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) recorded a team-leading 53 assists, six more than Lillian Braun (), with Maddie Hess (Lewiston, Minn.) chipping in 26 helpers. … Braun and Hanson each served up seven aces in the Cardinals' four tournament matches. Five of Braun's seven aces came against Carroll—it was the most aces in a single match since Hanson recorded six aces against Loras on Sept. 11, 2015. … The Cardinals boasted six players with 10 or more digs in their four tournament matches last weekend, Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) with 52. … Blattner and Thomas were both named to the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic All-Tournament Team. … Wednesday's match against UW-Eau Claire is the fifth straight home match for the Cardinals, who will play their next nine matches on the road—not returning home until Sept. 21, when they host Hamline in the teams' conference opener.
 
 Scouting The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• After dropping a 3-0 decision to fifth-ranked Calvin in their first match at the University of Chicago Tournament last Friday, the Blugolds rattled off three straight wins, beating Rockford, U. of Chicago, and Dominican. … Thursday's match is the fifth of nine consecutive road matches for the Blugolds, who do not kick off the home portion of their season until Sept. 16. … Saint Mary's is the first of six matches against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UWEC also has MIAC foes St. Thomas, Augsburg, Bethel, Concordia, and Gustavus on its schedule. … Heather Sawchuk finished with a team-leading 63 kills in the Blugolds' four tournament matches last weekend, while Katrina Raskie (34), Madelyn Pashibin (28), and Emily Miller (21) also recorded 20 or more kills in the team's first four matches. … Emma Richter accounted for 93 of the team's 168 assists last weekend, while Kasey Schumacher led the team with 10 aces, two more than Amber Karn. … The Blugolds boasted four players—Talla Jaskulske (55), Raskie (47), Schumacher (43), and Sawchuk (32)—who have posted 30 or more digs.