By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Macalester's Leonard Center for a 7 p.m. showdown against the Scots.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 8-6 Overall) at Macalester Scots (0-1 MIAC, 3-10 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—September 20-21, 2019 * Cedar Rapids, Iowa: The Cardinals finished 2-2 at the Coe Invitational last weekend, beating both Ripon and Cornell by 3-1 counts, while falling to Loras (3-2) and UW-Eau Claire (3-0) | Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap
• Macalester—September 21, 2019 • New Ulm, Minn.: After splitting the first two sets, the Scots took charge in their nonconference match against Martin Luther, rolling to 25-22 and 25-19 victories en route to a 3-1 road win | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester — Their Last Meeting:
• October 19, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its conference  match against Macalester riding a two-match winning streak. And the Cardinals did not waste any time transforming that into a three-match winning streak — needing just over an hour to dispatch of the Scots and exit Leonard Center with a convincing 3-0 victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals take to the road this weekend, heading to Rock Island, Ill., to take part in the Augustana Invitational. Saint Mary's will face Coe at 7 p.m. on Friday, before squaring off against Wartburg (11 a.m.) and host Augustana (1 p.m.) the following day.
• Macalester: The Scots return to conference play on Saturday, playing host to Augsburg in a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown at Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's match against Macalester is the fifth of eight straight road matches for the Cardinals, who do not return home to the Saint Mary's Gym until Oct. 2, when they host St. Thomas. … After playing their first five matches without a four-set decision, the Cardinals have posted five 3-1 wins in their last nine contests — including both victories last weekend at the Coe Invitational. … Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) recorded a team-high 44 kills in the Cardinals' four matches at the Coe Invitational last weekend, with Daynalyn Jostock (Millville, Minn.) adding 32 and Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.) finishing with 25. … Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) accounted for 153 of the Cardinals' 169 assists in four tournament matches last weekend. … DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) compiled a team-best 72 digs last weekend, while Braun and Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn.) each served up a team-leading five aces. … 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. … Saint Mary's boasted a pair of double-doubles against Hamline on Sept. 18. Barth recorded a 19-kill, 15-dig performance, while Braun added a 42-assist, 18-dig effort. … Braun and Wallis share the team lead with three double-doubles each, one more than Barth. … 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. … 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 Carley Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) 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. … Daynalyn Jostock's (Millville, Minn.) 11 kills in the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to UW-River Falls on Aug. 31 were a career high. … Barth enters Wednesday's against Macalester leading the team in kills with 143, followed by Wallis (108) and Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) with 103. … Braun owns 511 assists through 14 matches. … Braun has eclipsed the 50-assist barrier twice this season — dishing out 52 assists against Marian on Sept. 13 and delivering a season-high 54 helpers against UW-Superior on Aug. 30. … Braun has now finished with 50 or more assists in a match seven times in her collegiate career. … 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 40 of her last 41 matches and has recorded 20 or more assists 57 times in her four-year career. … Braun heads into Wednesday's action with 2,506 career assists — eclipsing the 2,000 career assist mark with her sixth helper against UW-Superior on Aug. 30. … The Cardinals have recorded 92 service aces this season, led by Braun (15), Gilles (13), Kedl (12), and Baab (12). … Baab owns a team-high 257 digs through 14 matches, while Braun is second with 112. … 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 Macalester Scots:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• After back-to-back road matches, Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight home contests — all against MIAC foes. The Scots will also faced Augsburg (Saturday) and Saint Benedict (Oct. 2), before returning to the road on Oct. 5 at Concordia. … After opening the season with seven straight losses — and nine losses in their first 10 matches — the Scots have won two of their last three. … Claire Loomans has been the Scots' setting workhorse, accounting for 315 of the team's 381 assists through 13 matches. … Macalester has amassed 75 service aces this season, with Lowe (18), King (15), and Ashley Heifinstein (15) accounting for 48 of them. … Katrina Schoen is the team-leader in digs with 243 and Sofia Parmelee owns a team-high 31 blocks. … As a team, Macalester has collected 411 kills (8.9 kps), 381 assists (8.3 aps), 75 aces (1.6 aps), 669 digs (14.5 dps), and 98 blocks (1.1 bps). … Six of Macalester's 10 losses have been 3-0 sweeps, while the Scots have also dropped three four-set matches and one five-setter. On the flip side, the Scots own one 3-0 victory and a pair of 3-1 triumphs. … Macalester boasts a pair of players — Eliza King and Zoe Lowe — who have eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. King leads the team with 116 kills (2.64 kps), with Lowe close behind with 108 (2.35 kps). …