By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Augsburg in a 7 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 7-5 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (0-1 MIAC, 11-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—September 14-15, 2018 * Kenosha, Wis.: The Cardinals went 1-3 at the Carthage Tournament, falling to the University of Chicago (3-0) and Concordia (Wis.) (3-1) on Friday, before beating MSOE (3-0) and losing to host Carthage (3-1) the followed day | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap
• Augsburg—September 14-15, 2018 * Eau Claire, Wis.: The Auggies picked up three straight wins at the UW-Eau Claire Tournament last weekend, beating Edgewood 3-1 last Friday, before posting back-to-back 3-0 victories over Lakeland and North Central (Ill.) the following day | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—Their Last Meeting:
• September 20, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: In a battle of conference heavyweights, Saint Mary's and Augsburg volleyball teams came out swinging in their MIAC showdown. The Auggies, however, boasted the late-round knockout punch, cruising to wins in the third and fourth sets to hand Saint Mary's its first conference loss of the season, a 3-1 decision at Si Melby Hall | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to the Saint Mary's Gym again on Saturday, hosting St. Catherine in a 3 p.m. conference matchup.
• Augsburg: The Auggies head home to Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown with Concordia on Saturday.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• With their 3-0 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering last Saturday, the Cardinals put an end to their season-high three-match losing streak. … After not playing a four-set match through their first eight contests, two of Saint Mary's four matches at the Carthage Tournament were decided in four sets. … Three of the Cardinals' five losses this season have been 3-0 decisions, with the other two going four sets. … With their 3-0 win over MSOE last Saturday, the Cardinals snapped a streak of four straight Saturday matches being decided in five sets. … Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) compiled a team-leading 53 kills in the Cardinals' four matches at the Carthage Tournament last weekend, giving her a team-best 169 kills through 12 matches. With her 169 kills this season, Blattner is now  vs. Bethel, Blattner is now just 31 kills shy of 1,000 for her career. … Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) accounted for 135 of the team's 165 assists at the Carthage Tournament, while Carley Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) delivered a team-best 36 digs — one more than DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) and three in front of Braun. … Blattner — who has posted 10 or more kills in 11 of the team's 12 contests — collected her fifth double-double against Concordia (Wis.) last Friday, posting 13 kills and 11 digs. … Braun also notched her fifth double-double against Concordia (Wis.) last Friday, posting 35 assists and 12 digs. … Blattner has put together a pair of 20-plus kill performances this season, recording 21 kills against Luther on Sept. 1 and delivering a season-high 22 kills vs. Lakeland on Sept. 9. … Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) is currently second to Blattner with 87 kills, with Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn.) third with 77. … Braun has amassed 470 assists and boasts three matches of 50 or more assists this season — including a career-high 63 assists against Luther on Sept. 1. … Braun's 63 assists vs. Luther on Sept. 1 were the second-most in program history, just two shy of record-holder Brittany Cherwinka—who, ironically, is Luther's current head coach. … Braun has delivered 30 or more assists in 11 of the team's 12 matches. … Braun's 470 assists are just 12 shy of her single-season career high of 482, recorded during her first year as a Cardinal in 2016. … Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) leads the Cardinals with 12 aces, one more than Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn.) and two in front of Braun, while DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) is the team's digs lead with 168. … Baab put together a single-match career-high 26 digs against Luther on Sept. 1. … Baab is one of three Cardinals with 100 or more digs this season — Blattner (123) and Braun (102) are the other two. … The Cardinals, who went 6-3 in five-set matches a year ago, are a perfect 4-0 in five-setters this year. Saint Mary's is 3-2 in three-set matches and 0-2 in matches decided in four sets. … The Cardinals had their season-opening four-match winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to UW-Stevens Point in the opening day of the UW-Stevens Point Tournament on Sept. 8. … With their 4-0 performance at the season-opening Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic, the Cardinals are now 11-1 in their last three Classic appearances—and 17-3 in their last five.
 
Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's is the fourth straight road match for the Auggies, who are 7-0 away from Si Melby Hall this season. … Augsburg had its season-opening six-match winning streak snapped with a 3-1 loss to Cornell on Sept. 7. … Both of the Auggies' losses this season have come in four sets. Along with their loss to Cornell, Augsburg also dropped a 3-1 decision to St. Olaf to open MIAC play on Sept. 12. … With their wins over Lakeland and North Central (Ill.) last Saturday, the Auggies have now posted six three-set victories. … Augsburg heads into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's boasting three players — Kayla Gjerde (120), Corrina Evans (110), and Sydnie Zachary (102) — with 100 or more kills this season. … Morgan Malley has dished out a team-best 418 assists and leads the team with 14 service aces, four more than Zachary and Cookil Shiongjay. … Macey Terhell has the team lead in digs with 215. She is one of four Auggies with 100 or more digs through 13 matches — Zachary (148), Jaelin Rios (121), and Malley (119) are the others. … Malley owns a team-leading six double-doubles this season — including a 33-assist, 15-dig effort against North Central — and has now amassed 33 career double-doubles. … Augsburg has won the first set in all 11 of its wins this season, while dropping the opening set in both of its losses.