By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team is back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals play host to St. Olaf in a 3 p.m. matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC, 13-9 Overall) vs. St. Olaf Oles (4-2 MIAC, 21-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Senior Salute
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — October 12, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals completed a perfect weekend, getting double-doubles from Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) and Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.) and rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Concordia 3-2 at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• St. Olaf — October 12, 2019 • Northfield, Minn.: The Oles completed a perfect 2-0 MIAC weekend, posting their second straight 3-0 sweep — this one over fifth-ranked Saint Benedict at Skoglund Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf — Their Last Meeting:
• October 24, 2018 • Winona, Minn.: St. Olaf scored six of the final seven points in the fifth and decisive set, rallying from a 12-9 deficit to beat Saint Mary's 15-13 and hand the Cardinals a 3-2 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference showdown against Augsburg.
• St. Olaf: The Oles 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.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's match against St. Olaf is the last of three straight home matches for the Cardinals, who close out the regular season with five consecutive road contests. … The Cardinals enter Saturday's matchup against St. Olaf having won two straight — knocking off No. 5 Saint Benedict 3-1 and outlasting Concordia 3-2 last weekend. … The Cardinals' 3-1 win over Saint Benedict on Oct. 11 snapped their two-match losing streak — while putting an end to the Bennies' 14-match winning streak. … Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.) recorded back-to-back double-doubles last weekend, posting 17 kills and 16 digs against Saint Benedict, while adding 17 kills and 17 digs against Concordia the following day. … Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) also posted a double-double against the Cobbers last Saturday, delivering 65 assists and 15 digs. … Braun and Barth now share the team lead in double-doubles (5) with Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.). … Barth posted her first collegiate double-double against Marian on Sept. 13, posting 11 kills and adding a career-best 12 digs, while Elise Amerongen (Woodbury, Minn.) also posted her first double-double in a Cardinal uniform with a 10-kill, 17-dig showing against Beloit on Sept. 14. … Saint Mary's had four players — Wallis (18), Barth (17), Erin Lime (Lino Lakes, Minn. / 14), and Daynalyn Jostock (Millville, Minn.) — with 10 or more kills against Concordia, while DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) led five Cardinals in double figures with 28 digs. … Barth enters Saturday's match against St. Olaf leading the team in kills with 227, followed by Wallis (202), Jostock (164), and Kedl (Lamberton, Minn. 157). … With her 65 assists against Concordia last Saturday, Braun pushed her team-leading total to 864 through 22 matches. … Braun has now eclipsed the 50-assist barrier five this season. Along with her 55 helpers against Saint Benedict on Oct. 11 and 65 vs. Concordia the following day, the senior posted 54 assists against UW-Superior on Aug. 30, 53 against Coe on Sept. 27, and 52 against Marian on Sept. 13. … Braun has finished with 50 or more assists in a match 10 times in her collegiate career. … Braun's 65 assists vs. Concordia last Saturday were two short of her school-record 67-assist effort against Hamline Sept. 18. … Braun, who owned a single-season career-high 1,098 assists a year ago — the most by a Cardinal in a season since 2013, when Lexi Assimos dished out 1,197 — has posted 20 or more assists in 48 of her last 49 matches and has recorded 20 or more assists 65 times in her four-year career. … Braun — who accounted for 55 of Saint Mary's 57 assists vs. Saint Benedict on Oct. 11 and 65 of 71 vs. Concordia a day later — has now recorded 321 of the team's 343 assists in the last seven matches. … Braun heads into Saturday's match against Concordia with 2,859 career assists — eclipsing the 2,000 career assist mark with her sixth helper against UW-Superior on Aug. 30. … The Cardinals have recorded 124 service aces this season, led by Braun (19), Baab (18), Kedl (17), Hayley Weber (Gladbrook, Iowa / 14) and Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn. / 13). … Baab owns a team-high 425 digs through 22 matches, while Braun is second with 185. Wallis (155), Barth (154), Carley Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn. / 124), and Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn. / 103) have also eclipsed the 100-dig plateau. … Baab recorded a career-high 42 digs in the Cardinals' loss to Hamline on Sept. 18 — it was the most digs in a match since Theresa Perrini had 41 against Augsburg in 2008, and was just six digs shy of Perrini's single-match school-record 48, set against Loras, also during the 2008 season. … Lime's 14 kills against Concordia last Saturday were a season high. … Hannah Skroch (Prior Lake, Minn.) delivered a career-best 15 digs against Saint Benedict on Oct. 11 and equaled that mark against Concordia the following day. … Jostock recorded a career-best 18 kills in Saint Mary's 3-1 win over Augustana on Sept. 28. … Coral Anderson (Rogers, Minn.) equaled her career high with 14 kills against Beloit on Sept. 14, while Hope Miner (Prescott, Wis.) recorded a career-best 11 kills against the Buccaneers. … Jordan Meyers (Eyota, Minn.) owned a career-high 18 digs and Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) dished out a career-high 35 assists against Beloit on Sept. 14, while Cronen notched a career-best 15 digs against Ripon that same day. … Wallis' 17 kills against UW-Superior on Aug. 30 and 19 digs vs. UW-River Falls the following day were both career highs. … With their win over Saint Benedict on Oct. 11, seven of the Cardinals' last 11 victories have been 3-1 decisions. … Saint Mary's owns four, three-set wins, while going 6-1 in four-setters and adding two, five-set victory. On the flip side, six of Saint Mary's nine losses have been 3-0 sweeps. The Cardinals have also dropped two, five-set matches. … With their 2-1 showing at the Augustana Viking Classic last weekend, the Cardinals improved to 9-3 on the road this season. … With their 2-2 showing at this year's season-opening Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic, the Cardinals are now 13-3 in their last four Sugar Loaf Classics, while going 19-5 in their last six.
 
Scouting The St. Olaf Oles:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the first of four straight road contests for the Oles, who are 15-2 away from Skoglund Center this season — including a perfect 11-0 in neutral-site matches. … With their 3-0 wins over Concordia and Saint Benedict last weekend, the Oles pushed their winning streak to seven straight. … Four of St. Olaf's wins during their current seven-match run have been 3-0 sweeps. The Oles also own one 3-1 victory and a pair of 3-2 triumphs. … Lauren Rewers enters Saturday's match at Saint Mary's leading the team with 306 kills. … Rewers is one of five Oles with 100 or more kills, being joined by Summer Reid (267), Katelyn Lannom (259), Morgan Marxer (212), and Nicole Banitt (117). … Lexi Wall has amassed a team-high 1051 assists — eclipsing the 1000-assist barrier with one of her 43 helpers against Saint Benedict last Saturday. … Wall has dished out 40 or more assists 17 times this season — including seven matches of 50 or more helpers. … St. Olaf has served up 168 aces through 24 matches, led by Lannom (45), Rewers (37), and Wall (22). … Emily Jarngan is the team-leader in digs with 495, while Wall (274), Rewers (215), Haley Langeslag (193), and Jordan Melz (192) have also eclipsed the 100-dig plateau. … Lannom enters Saturday's match against Saint Mary's boasting a team-high 62 blocks, followed by Rewers with 53 and Banitt with 51. … St. Olaf has posted nine 3-0 wins this season, while going 6-2 in four-setters and a perfect 6-0 in sets extended to a fifth set.