ST. PAUL, Minn. — It wasn't the start that proved to be the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team's Achilles heel Saturday afternoon at the Northwestern Quadrangular—it was the finishing kick.
 
The Cardinals dominated the first set in their opening match against UW-River Falls, cruising to a 25-17 victory. From there, however, it was all UW-River Falls, as the Falcons rattled off three straight wins—25-17, 28-26, 25-20—to deal the Cardinals a 3-1 setback.
 
And the second match of the day was eerily similar, as Saint Mary's jumped out to a 1-0 lead over ninth-ranked UW-Whitewater with a 25-23 win in the opening set, only to have the high-powered Warhawks answer with three straight victories—25-15, 25-11, 25-22—to deal the Cardinals their second straight 3-1 setback of the afternoon.
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the Cardinal offense against UW-River Falls, collecting a team-high 12 kills, with Sara Lind (Peterson, Minn.) chipping in eight kills and a team-best .375 attack percentage. Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out 17 assists and Clare Tack (St. Charles, Ill.) tallied 15 digs.
 
Blattner again led the way for Saint Mary's again the nationally ranked Warhawks, recording 13 kills, while Hanson posted her second-straight 17-assist performance—three more helpers than teammate Lillian Braun (Kasson, Minn.)—and added 16 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Tack also notched 16 digs and delivered one of the Cardinals' three service aces.
 
The Cardinals (14-9 overall) close out the nonconference portion of their schedule on Wednesday, entertaining UW-La Crosse in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym. Wednesday's contest will also be Senior Day for the Cardinals, who will honor their four graduating seniors—Lind, Hanson, Tack, and Tara Nagy (Oak Lawn, Ill.)