By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team has been very comfortable playing on the road this season — in fact, nine of the Cardinals' 11 victories this season have come away from the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Saturday evening, however, there was nothing comfortable about playing in Bethel's Robertson Center Gym, as the Royals proved to be very ungracious hosts in handing the Cardinals a 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback.
 
The Royals outlasted the Cardinals 25-23 in the opening set and never looked back, completing the sweep with a 25-15 win in Set 2 and a 25-20 victory in the third set.
 
Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) led the way for Saint Mary's, collecting a 36-assist, 16-dig double-double, while Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.) and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) posted 16 and 11 kills, respectively.
 
Maria Clafflin notched 15 kills and Allie Fauth added 11 for the Royals, who also got 24 assists from Hannah Wilhite and 16 helpers from Ellie Hoyt, while Dominique Dabu chipped in a team-best nine digs.
 
The Cardinals (1-3 MIAC, 11-9 overall) are now off until next weekend, when they host Saint Benedict and Concordia in a pair of MIAC matches at the Saint Mary's Gym. Saint Mary's and CSB will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday, before entertaining the Cobbers at 3 p.m. the following afternoon. The Royals (3-1 MIAC, 14-5 overall), meanwhile, are back on the road on Thursday, heading to Macalester's Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference match against the Scots.