By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — For the Saint Mary's University volleyball team, there have been plenty of big wins among their 11 victories heading into Friday's showdown against Saint Benedict.
 
But for coach Jackie Kiecker and the Cardinals, there are "big" wins, and there are "BIG" wins.
 
And it's a safe bet that Friday's result against the Bennies falls into the latter category.
 
Saint Benedict came into the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match ranked No. 5 in the latest AVCA national poll and riding a 14-match winning streak, while the Cardinals had dropped their last two matches — both by 3-0 counts.
 
On paper, it appeared like a mismatch.
 
On the court, however, it was anything but.
 
The Cardinals put together by far their best performance of the season, rallying from a 1-0 deficit — rattling off wins of 25-20, 25-23, and 25-17 — to knock off the Bennies 3-1 at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Saint Mary's struggled in the opening set, as Saint Benedict pulled away from a 10-10 deadlock, building leads as big as eight points on two separate occasions en route to a 25-18 victory in the opening set.
 
Down, but far from out, the Cardinals took control, recording nine of the final 13 points in Set 2 for a 25-20 win. It was more of the same in the third set, with Saint Mary's using a set-ending 4-2 run in posting a 25-23 win — and a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Cardinals fell behind early in the fourth set, but grabbed the lead for good, 15-14 and never let the Bennies claw their way back in sealing the win with a 25-17 victory.
 
Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.) led the Cardinals' offense, posting a double-double of 17 kills and 16 digs, while Daynalyn Jostock (Millville, Minn.) chipped in 12 kills, and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) and Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) dished out 55 assists, with DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) delivering a team-best 28 digs and Hannah Skroch (Prior Lake, Minn.) tallied 15.
 
Hunter Weiss and Madison Weiss posted 11 and 10 kills, respectively, to pace the Bennies, while Katie Koch dished out 33 assists and Haley LaValle finished with a team-leading 19 digs.
 
The Cardinals (2-3 MIAC, 12-9 overall) are right back in action on Saturday, entertaining Concordia in a 3 p.m. MIAC matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym. The Bennies (4-1 MIAC, 17-2) return to the road on Saturday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 3 p.m. conference showdown with the Oles.