ST. PAUL, Minn. — For the second time in as many days, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team was in St. Paul, Minn., Saturday afternoon.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the second trip wasn't quite as memorable as the first.
 
Thanks to a convincing 3-1 victory at Hamline Friday evening, the Cardinals headed into Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup with league-leading and nationally ranked St. Thomas riding plenty of positive momentum.
 
And the Cardinals were good against high-powered St. Thomas—but the Tommies were better.
 
St. Thomas never let the Cardinals get things on track, as the Tommies opened with a 25-18 victory and never looked back—adding 25-21 and 25-20 victories in dealing Saint Mary's the 3-0 setback at Schoenecker Arena.
 
Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) led the way for the Cardinals, collecting nine kills and adding 10 digs, while Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn.) each chipped in seven kills. Lillian Braun (Kasson, Minn.) dished out a team-high 16 assists,, and Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) posted her ninth double-double of the season with 13 assists and 11 digs. Clare Tack (St. Charles, Ill.) joined Wallis and Hanson in double figures in digs, recording a team-leading 12.
 
Whitney Lloyd recorded nine kills and hit .389, while Ellie Etzell finished with eight kills, and Grace Duffy and Audrey Erickson each tallied seven for the league-leading Tommies (8-1 MIAC, 22-5 overall).
 
The Cardinals (6-3 MIAC, 15-11 overall) are back on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a key, MIAC showdown with St. Olaf. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. at the Oles' Skoglund Center.