By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) was a digging machine Wednesday evening for the Saint Mary's University volleyball team.
 
The sophomore libero recorded a career-high 42 digs — just six shy of the single-match school record, set by Theresa Perrini in 2008 — in the Cardinals' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener against Hamline.
 
Unfortunately, Baab's effort was not quite enough to get the Cardinals the win, as Hamline dealt Saint Mary's a 3-1 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The two teams traded victories in the first two sets, with Hamline taking the opener 25-20, while Saint Mary's held off a late Piper rally to win the second, 25-23.
 
It was more of the same in Sets 3 and 4, as Hamline outlasted the Cardinals 25-23 in the third, and rattled off the final four points in the fourth — marking the first time in the entire set that either team led by more than two points — to ice the conference-opening win, 25-21.
 
Along with Baab's career-best 42 digs, the Cardinals also got a pair of double-doubles from Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) and Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.). Braun dished out 42 assists and added 18 digs, while Barth recorded a career-best 19 kills and added 15 digs. Coral Anderson (Rogers, Minn.) chipped in 13 kills and Hayley Weber (Gladbrook, Iowa) accounted for a team-leading three of the Cardinals' seven service aces.
 
Madison Hurrle tallied 18 kills, with Gabby Robinson and Rachel Rettman chipped in 14 and 10, respectively, for the Pipers, who also got 48 assists and 20 digs from Megan Rubbelke, and 22 digs from Maggie Gavic in the win.
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 6-4 overall) — who had their four-match winning streak snapped with the loss — are back in action this weekend, heading to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to participate in the Coe Invitational. Saint Mary's will face Loras (5 p.m.) and Ripon (7 p.m.) on Friday, before squaring off against UW-Eau Claire (10 a.m.) and Cornell (1 p.m.) this following day.