By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The road for the Saint Mary's University volleyball team certainly didn't get any easier Saturday afternoon.
 
Just a week after successfully navigating the minefield of back-to-back conference matches — knocking off then-fifth-ranked Saint Benedict 3-1 and rallying from a 2-0 deficit to beat Concordia the following day — the Cardinals stood face-to-face with yet another national power, No. 23 St. Olaf.
 
And, just like those matches against Saint Benedict and Concordia, the Cardinals dropped the opening set against the high-powered Oles.
 
And, just like those matches against Saint Benedict and Concordia, it didn't faze the Cardinals one bit.
 
Saint Mary's rallied from that 1-0 deficit in convincing fashion, rolling to three straight victories in beating yet another national power, 3-1 at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Cardinals struggled to get in sync early in the first set, falling behind 16-7, before making things interesting in a 25-21 St. Olaf win.
 
From there, however, it was all Saint Mary's.
 
The Cardinals dominated the second and third sets — winning 25-13 and 25-17 — before completing their second 3-1 upset of a nationally ranked team with a 25-18 win in the fourth set.
 
Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) fueled the Cardinals' high-octane offense, delivering 15 kills and hitting a whopping .577, while Erin Lime (Lino Lakes, Minn.) and Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) dished out 43 assists and DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), Hayley Weber (Gladbrook, Iowa) and Carley Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) recorded 22, 15, and 11 kills.
 
Katelyn Lannom and Lauren Rewers each recorded 12 kills and Summer Reid finished with 11 in the losing effort for St. Olaf. Lexi Wall recorded 44 of the team's 46 assists and Emily Jarnigan tallied 21 digs for the Oles.
 
The Cardinals (4-3 MIAC, 14-9 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference showdown against Augsburg. The Oles (4-3 MIAC, 21-4 overall), meanwhile, are back on the road on Friday, heading to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Royals.