By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team was looking to put in a little extra work at the UW-Stevens Point Invitational in preparation for Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener against Bethel.
And a little extra work was exactly what the Cardinals got.
Saint Mary's was stretched to the limit in both of its matches during Saturday's second day of the two-day event, outlasting both Lakeland and Concordia (Wis.) 3-2 to close out the tournament with a 2-1 record.
The Cardinals, who dropped their first match of the season, 3-0, to UW-Stevens Point on Friday, opened Saturday's action with a 14-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 16-14 triumph over Lakeland, before completed the 3-2 double with a 25-15, 17-25, 20-25, 21-25, 15-13 victory over Concordia (Wis.).
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the way for Saint Mary's against Lakeland, hammering out 22 kills, while
Brittney Flom (Kenyon, Minn.) chipped in 11 and
Erin Lime (Lino Lakes, Minn.) added nine.
Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) dished out a team-high 51 assists and
DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) delivered a team-leading 19 digs. Blattner added 14 digs for her third double-double of the season, while Braun also notched a double-double, adding 10 digs to her 51 assists.
Hayley Weber (Gladbrook, Iowa) and
Carley Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) also recorded 10 or more digs against the Muskies, finishing with 15 and 10, respectively.
Blattner was the team's digs leader against Concordia (Wis.) as well, posting 15, wit
Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) and
Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) chipping in 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Braun eclipsed the 50-assist mark for a second straight match dishing out 52 helpers, while adding 12 digs for a second consecutive double-double. Baab notched a team-best 21 digs and Weber added 10.
The Cardinals (6-1 overall) kick off conference play on Wednesday, heading to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7 p.m. showdown with Bethel.
