DECORAH, Iowa — Saint Mary's University volleyball coach
Jackie Kiecker wasn't quite sure what to expect from her squad heading into Friday's season-opening matches against Luther and Edgewood.
After all, Kiecker's 17-player squad included eight freshmen who had never played a collegiate match.
And with first two matches of the season in the books, Kiecker learned one thing — the 2021 season promises to be a wild, unpredictable ride.
The Cardinals kicked off their season in rousing fashion, rolling to a convincing 3-0 victory over host Luther. Unfortunately, Saint Mary's second match of the day didn't have the same happy ending, however, as Edgewood rallied from a one set deficit to deal SMU a 3-1 setback.
Saint Mary's dominated its first match of the day against Luther, cruising to wins of 25-19, 25-17, 25-21 en route to the 3-0 sweep.
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) led the Cardinals' offensive charge against Luther, collecting 16 kills and hitting a .whopping .419, while
Rachel Szepieniec (Eau Claire, Wis.) and
Braidyn Ruetten (Holmen, Wis.) each chipped in six kills.
Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) and
Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) accounted for 38 of the team's 41 assists — Schmidt dishing out 23 helpers and Clem added 15 — and
DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) delivered a team-best 25 digs.
The Cardinals got off to a slow start in their second match of the afternoon against Edgewood, falling behind 7-1, only to win 24 of the set's final 39 points for a 25-22 win. From there, however, the momentum shifted — and the Eagles rode that wave to three straight set wins in dealing Saint Mary's a 22-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-20 setback.
McNally picked up right where she left off against Edgewood, hammering out a career-high 20 kills and adding 10 digs for her first collegiate double-double. Ruetten and Szepieniec chipped in eight kills each, while Schmidt recorded 31 assists and Baab notched 20 digs.
The Cardinals (1-1 overall) close out the weekend with two matches in Waverly, Iowa, on Saturday. Saint Mary's will square off against Milwaukee School of Engineering at 11 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. matchup against host Wartburg.
