• FOR THE RECORD: Saint Mary's heads into Saturday's conference finale against Gustavus sporting a 7-19 overall record — including a 3-7 conference mark.
• LAST ACTION: The Cardinals got 12 kills from Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) and 12 digs from DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), but it was not enough, as St. Olaf dealt SMU a 3-0 setback Wednesday at the SMU Gym.
• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday's match against Gustavus is the fourth straight home match for the Cardinals, who played their first 17 contests — and 19 of their first 21 — on the road.
• CAREER PERFORMANCES: McNally — who recorded a program-record 32 kills in the Cardinals' 3-2 victory against Carleton on Sept. 15 — notched a career-high 18 digs in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 1. … McNally's 32 kills against Carleton were not only a career-high, but also a single-match, program record, breaking the previous mark of 31, set by Brandi Blattner on Oct. 21, 2016. … Braidyn Ruetten (Holmen, Wis.) and Pigorsch each turned in career performances against Carroll on Sept. 24., with Ruetten pounded out a career-high 17 kills, while Pigorsch added a career-best 14. … Amerongen posted a career-best 13 kills in the Cardinals' 3-1 win over Westminster (Mo.) on Sept. 17. … Faith Van Erp (Sartell, Minn.) racked up a career-high 19 kills in the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to Marian on Sept. 11.
• DOUBLING UP: Schmidt picked up her team-leading seventh double-double of the season against Macalester on Oct. 22, dishing out 34 assists and adding 13 digs. McNally, meanwhile, posted her sixth double-double of the year against the Scots, finishing with 22 kills and 14 assists. … Clem posted career-highs in both assists (30) and digs (10) en route to her first collegiate double-double against Carleton on Sept. 15.
• ON THE ATTACK: McNally has recorded at least 10 kills 17 times this season — including five matches of 20 of more kills — and enters Saturday's match against Gustavus with a team-best 319 kills. Ruetten is second to McNally with 175 kills, followed closely by Van Erp with 170.
• GIVING AN ASSIST: Schmidt and Clem have shared the setting duties this season. Schmidt owns a team-leading 541 helpers, while Clem has tallied 260. … With her 34 assists vs. Macalester on Oct. 22, Schmidt has posted five matches with 30 or more assists, while recording at least 20 helpers in a match 14 times.
• DIGGING IT: Baab has led the team in digs in 21 of SMU's 26 matches — including a season-high 29-dig effort in SMU's 3-1 win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 1. Baab enters Saturday's conference match vs. Gustavus leading the team with 376 digs. … Baab has compiled a total of 1,524 career digs, ranking her third all-time.
• SERVING UP ACES: Clem and Schmidt head into SMU's match against St. Olaf as the team's "ace" servers, with Clem posting 31 aces, four more than Schmidt, followed by McNally (17), Baab (17), Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn. / 16), and Ruetten (13).
• STREAK SNAPPERS: With their 3-1 win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 1, the Cardinals put an end to their season-high six-match losing streak. SMU's 3-0 loss to Hamline on Oct. 8, meanwhile, put an end to SMU's two-match winning streak.
• GOING.THE DISTANCE: The Cardinals' 3-2 loss to Macalester on Oct.22 was their fourth five-set match of the season. SMU was also extended to a fifth set in beating Carleton and falling to Marian and Carroll. Saint Mary's is 3-11 in three-set matches, while going 3-4 in matches decided in four sets. |
• FOR THE RECORD: The Gusties enter Saturday's regular-season finale against Saint Mary's sitting tied atop the conference standings at 9-1, while sporting a 23-5 overall record.
• LOGJAM AT THE TOP: Gustavus is in a three-way tie with Bethel and Hamline atop the MIAC standings with one match to play. All three, along with St. Olaf, have already locked up conference tournament playoff spots.
• IN THE POLLS: The Gusties maintained their spot at No. 25 in the latest AVCA Top 25.
• HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME: Gustavus enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's having won three straight and 10 of their last 11. The lone loss in that span was a 3-0 setback at the hands of Northwestern on Oct. 19. Eight of GAC's last 10 wins have all been 3-0 sweeps.
• ON THE ATTACK: Gustavus boasts five players with 100 or more kills this season, led by Kate Holtan with 397. Marlee Turn (214), Sarah Elliott (211), Courtney Peterson (171), and Sydney Olson (128) have also eclipsed the 100-kill mark. … Holtan's 397 kills are not only tops on the team, but also rank No. 1 in the conference and 10th in all of NCAA Division III. … Holtan has recorded 10 or more kills in 24 of the team's 28 matches — including the last 13.
• ASSISTING THE CAUSE: Kasie Tweet has been the main setter for the Gusties this season, amassing 901 assists, while Nora Lehmkuhl has chipped in 114 helpers. Tweet has dished out 40 or more assists on nine occasions, including a season-high 45 assists three times.
• DOUBLING-UP: Holtan leads the Gusties with 12 double-doubles, while Tweet has posted five double-doubles this season.
• SERVING UP ACES: The Gusties have recorded 176 service aces this season, led by Tweet with 45 and Holtan with 42. Five other Gusties have notched at least 10 aces this season.
• DIGGING IN: Hailey Embacher leads Gustavus with 550 digs, while Holtan (277), Kylee Cox (234), Tweet (198), and Turn (176) are also in the 100-dig club.
• BRING OUT THE BROOMS: Eighteen of Gustavus' 23 wins this season have bene 3-0 sweeps. The Gusties also own three four-set wins, and three five-setters. On the flip side, three of GAC's five losses have gone the maximum five sets. The Gusties have been swept just once, and have lost just one four-set match.
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