OSHKOSH, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to UW-Oshkosh to take part in the two-day UW-Oshkosh Invitational.
 
The UW-Oshkosh Invitational Field:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2 Overall), UW-Oshkosh Titans (3-3 Overall), Benedictine Eagles (1-4 Overall), Concordia-Wisconsin (4-0 Overall), Lawrence Vikings (3-2 Overall), Martin Luther Knights (2-3 Overall), St. Norbert Green Knights (0-5 Overall), Washington (Mo.) Bears (2-2 Overall), UW-Stout Blue Devils (1-3 Overall), Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors (3-1 Overall)
 
The UW-Oshkosh Invitational Schedule:
Friday, September 8, 2017 * Court 1 (Gym A)
• Washington (Mo.) vs. Saint Mary's, 3:30 * Concordia (Wis.) vs. Martin Luther, 5:30 * UW-Stout vs. Benedictine, 7:30
Friday, September 8, 2017 * Main Court (Fieldhouse)
• Concordia (Wis.) vs. UW-Oshkosh, 1:30 * St. Norbert vs. Benedictine, 3:30 * Lawrence vs. UW-Stout, 5:30 * UW-Oshkosh vs. Washington (Mo.), 7:30
Friday, September 8, 2017 * Court 3 (Fieldhouse)
• Lawrence vs. Martin Luther, 3:30 * Wisconsin Lutheran vs. St. Norbert, 5:30 * Saint Mary's vs. Wisconsin Luther, 7:30
 
Saturday, September 9, 2017 * Court 1 (Gym A)
• Benedictine vs. Saint Mary's, 9:30 * UW-Stout vs. Concordia (Wis.), 1:30 * Concordia (Wis.) vs. Lawrence, 3:30
Saturday, September 9, 2017 * Main Court (Fieldhouse)
• Washington (Mo.) vs. Lawrence, 9:30 * Saint Mary's vs. Washington (Mo.), 11:30 * Wisconsin Lutheran vs. Martin Luther, 1:30 * Martin Luther vs. St. Norbert, 3:30 * UW-Oshkosh vs. Wisconsin Lutheran, 5:30
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Tournament Webpage
 
Cardinals' Last Action:
• September 6, 2017 * Decorah, Iowa: The Cardinals fell behind 2-0 and never recovered, dropping a 3-1 nonconference decision to Luther | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Oshkosh Opponents—Their Last Meeting:
• vs. Washington (Mo.) University—November 13, 2009 * St. Louis, Mo.: Sarah Gardner posted 17 kills and Brittney Cherwinka dished out 35 assists, but the Cardinals could not slow down the high-powered Bears, as Washington (Mo.) University dropping Saint Mary's 3-1 in the NCAA Central Region semifinals | Recap
• vs. Wisconsin Lutheran—September 4, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, who rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat UW-La Crosse 3-1 in their opening match of the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic, did not give Wisconsin Lutheran a chance in Match No. 2, winning the opening set 25-14, before completing the 3-0 sweep with back-to-back 25-18 wins in Sets 2 and 3 to ice the win | Recap
• vs. Benedictine—September 6, 1997 * Elmhurst, Ill.: Saturday's meeting will be the first in 20 years, dating back to a 3-0 loss to the Eagles at the Elmhurst (Ill.) Tournament
• vs. UW-Oshkosh—October 11, 2013 * Naperville, Ill.: The Cardinals rebounded from a 25-20 loss in the opening set against UW-Oshkosh, winning Set 2, 25-23, then took a 2-1 lead by outlasting the Titans 29-27 in Set 3, only to lose the fourth set 25-23. But in the fifth and deciding set, it was all Saint Mary's, as the Cardinals cruised to a 15-9 win to clinch the 3-2 victory at the North Central (Ill.) Tournament | Recap
 
Cardinals Up Next:
• The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, entertaining Bethel in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Cardinals head into the UW-Oshkosh Tournament boasting a 3-2 overall record. … The Cardinals' 3-1 loss to Luther on Wednesday—their first road match of the season—snapped their three-match winning streak. … Two of Saint Mary's three wins this season have been 3-2 decisions—beating both Carthage and Central-Iowa in five sets during the second day of the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.)—a Second-Team AVCA All-American a year ago—collected 10 kills and 12 digs in Saint Mary's loss to Luther Wednesday. It was Blattner's third double-double in five matches this season. The junior outside boasted 13 double-doubles a year ago. … Blattner, who led the Cardinals in kills in 24 of their 29 matches a year ago, has posted team highs in kills in four of their five matches this season. … Blattner set a single-match school record in the rally scoring era with 31 kills against Bethel on Oct. 21, 2016. The 31 kills were two better than her previous career-high 29, recorded against Central-Iowa on Sept. 9, 2016. … Gloria Kitange (Rochester, Minn.) and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) both posted career highs in kills in the Cardinals' 3-2 win over Central-Iowa on Sept. 2. Kitange led the way with a team-high 16 kills, one more than Kedl. … Blattner currently leads the team with 51 kills, with Kedl and Kitange close behind at 40 and 39, respectively. … Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) equaled her season high with 29 assists against Luther Wednesday. The senior setter also dished out 29 assists against Central-Iowa on Sept. 2. … Lillian Braun (Kasson, Minn.) matched her career high with 28 assists against Central-Iowa on Sept. 2. Braun also posted 28 assists vs. Bethel and Central-Iowa a year ago. … Hanson heads into this weekend's matches at UW-Oshkosh with a team-leading 108 assists, while Braun has chipped in 79. … Clare Tack (St. Charles, Ill.) owns a team-best eight service aces, and also leads the squad with 63 digs, 12 more than Blattner. … With their 3-2 wins over Carthage and Central-Iowa on Sept. 1, the Cardinals are now 4-0 in their last four matches stretched to a fifth set. Saint Mary's beat both Gustavus and Nebraska Wesleyan 3-2 a year ago. … With their 3-1 showing last weekend, the Cardinals are now 7-1 in their last two Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic appearances—and 13-3 in their last four.
 
Scouting The Washington (Mo.) University Bears
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• WashU enters the weekend sporting a 2-2 record and a No. 8 ranking in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll. … The Bears have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 273 consecutive weeks, including 257 weeks within the Top 10. … Julianne Malek and Ifeoma Ufondu both earned all-University Athletic Association (UAA) Second Team honors in 2016. Ufondu was second on the team in kills with 348, while Malek posted the second best hitting percentage of .313. … In their three matches at the season-opening Bear Invitational, Malek posted a team-best 34 kills, one more than Ufondu. … Zoe Baxter has recorded 10 or more digs in each of WashU's first four matches this season—extending her streak to 17 consecutive matches with at least 10 digs. … The Bears boast a trio of players with 30 or more assists—Alison Almgren-Bell (45), Chloe Stile (40), and Kirby Knapp (31). … WashU has amassed 14 service aces, led by Almgren-Bell with four and Lauren Martin with three. … WashU head coach Vanessa Walby is just two wins shy of 100 wins as the Bears' head coach. … WashU has made an NCAA Division III-leading 15 national championship matches, capturing 10 national titles. The 2016 Bears advanced to the championship match, before falling to Calvin.
 
Scouting The Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Warriors head into tournament play having collected wins in three of their four matches at the season-opening Buc Blast Tournament in Beloit, Wis. Wisconsin Lutheran beat UW-Superior (3-2) and Rockford (3-1) last Friday, before splitting a pair of 3-2 decisions against host Beloit. … Britley Grulke collected a team-high 59 kills in the Warriors' four matches at the Buc Blast Tournament last weekend, while Alyssa Charron added 35 kills, and Brooke Roberts and Riley Olson chipped in 28 and 25 kills, respectively. … Courtney Pattison accounted for 171 of the team's 192 assists last weekend. … Wisconsin Lutheran served up 29 aces at the Buc Blast Tournament, led by Grulke with 12. … The Warriors boasted four players with 50 or more digs in their four tournament games last weekend—Roberts (81), Pattison (79), Morgan Scanlon (77), and Grulke (58). … The Warriors will play their first 14 matches on the road. Wisconsin Lutheran does not open its home schedule until a Sept. 26 date against Mount Mary. … Wisconsin Lutheran posted a 14-15 record a year ago.
 
Scouting The Benedictine Eagles
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics| 2017 Schedule
• The Eagles open UW-Oshkosh Tournament play have won one of their first five matches this season. … Benedictine's 3-2 win over Calvin on Wednesday snapped their season-opening four-match losing streak. … Lauren Wieber is the team's kill leader with 38, while Molly Stock, Taylor Dunwell, and Kendall Holmes are close behind with 33 kills each. … Alyssa O'Boyle has accounted for 121 of the team's 165 assists, and also leads the team with nine service aces—one more than Claudia Schmidt. … Benedictine boasts five players with 30 or more digs through five matches, led by Kristina Bille with 80 and Vanessa Possidoni with 79. … Three of the Eagles' four losses have been 3-0 sweeps. … 
 
Scouting the UW-Oshkosh Titans
2017 Roster | 2017 Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The host Titans head into this weekend's matches sporting a 3-3 overall record. UW-Oshkosh, which is in the midst of a nine-match home stand, picked up their first two home victories on Wednesday night, beating Edgewood 3-1 and Wheaton 3-1. … After dropping their first three matches of the season, the Titans have rattled off three straight wins. … UW-Oshkosh heads into tournament play boasting seven players in double figures in kills, led by Tina Elstner with 60 and Samantha Jaeke with 57. Alyssa Wolslegel (36), Carly Lemke (31), Brianna Wittler (21), Renee Rush (17), and Shelby Coron (13) have also recorded 10 or more kills this season. … Morgan Windau boasts a team-leading 83 assists, followed by Rebecca Doughty with 61 and Jaeke with 38. … UW-Oshkosh has collected 31 service aces through six matches, led by Tina Elstner with six, and Katie Hodges and Jaeke with five each. … Rachel Gardner has post3ed a team-leading 93 digs and is one of six Titans with 15 or more digs through six matches. … Four of UW-Oshkosh's six matches have been decided in four sets—the Titans are 2-2 in thos four matches. UW-O has also gone 1-1 in three-set matches, and has yet to play a match extended to the maximum five sets.