SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022: 0-2 MIAC, 7-8 Overall

ST. CATHERINE WILDCATS

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2022: 1-1 MIAC, 10-5 Overall

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Live Stats * Streaming Video

SMU-SCU * A YEAR AGO:

Oct. 2, 2021 * St. Paul, MN

W 3-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Sept. 30, 2022 * Duluth, MN

St. Scholastica * L, 3-0

ST. CATHERINE * LAST ACTION:

Sept. 30, 2022 * St. Paul, MN

Concordia * L, 3-2

SAINT MARY’S UP NEXT: 

Oct. 5, 2022 * Decorah IA

Luther * 6:30

ST. CATHERINE UP NEXT: 

Oct. 7, 2022 * St. Paul, MN

St. Olaf * 7:00

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into Saturday’s conference matchup against St. Catherine sitting at 7-8 overall, including 0-2 in conference play.

• LAST ACTION: Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) delivered 15 kills and Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) posted a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs, but it was not enough, as St. Scholastica dealt SMU its second 3-0 conference loss of the season Friday in Duluth, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Saturday’s match against St. Catherine is just the second home match of the season for the Cardinals, who played 14 of their first 15 contests on the road. Saint Mary’s will play five of its next seven matches on their home court, beginning Saturday against St. Catherine.

• ON THE ATTACK: McNally heads into Saturday’s matchup with St. Catherine leading the team with 200 kills, followed by Stigler with 152. Braidyn Ruetten (Holmen, Wis.) is third on the team with 95 kills, while Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Elise Amerongen (Lake Elmo, Minn.) are sitting at 69 and 59 kills, respectively.

• DOUBLE DIGITS: McNally delivered a single-match season-high 28 kills against Grinnell on Sept. 2, and has now recorded 10 or more kills 32 times in her collegiate career — including seven matches of 20 or more kills.

• CAREER BESTS: The Cardinals have had two players post career-highs of 10 or more kills this season. Stigler recorded a career-best 21 kills against Webster on Sept. 16, while Bruchert posted 16 kills in the Cardinals’ 3-1 win over Ripon on Sept. 23. … Stigler posted a career-high 19 digs against Ripon on Sept. 23, and McNally notched a career-high 20 digs against Grinnell on Sept. 17, while Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) put up a career-best 25 digs vs. Grinnell on Sept. 2.

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) and Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) have shared the setting duties this season, with Schmidt owning a team-high 260 assists, followed closely by Clem with 237. … Schmidt has recorded at least 20 assists in a match six times this season — including a season-high 31 against Knox on Sept. 17 — and has delivered 20 or more helpers 20 times over the past two seasons. … Clem has posted 20 or more assists in each of SMU’s last four matches.

• JOINING THE CLUB: With her third assist against Marian on Sept. 10, Schmidt became the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career assists. Schmidt enters the weekend with 1,151 helpers, just nine assists back of Tayler MacVey ‘15 for 11th all-time. Rachel Monterastelli ’10 is next on the list, sitting in 10th at 1,471.

• DOUBLING UP: McNally picked up two double-doubles in three matches at the Ripon Red Hawk Invitational on Sept. 23-24, pushing her team-leading total to nine. Schmidt — who led the team with seven double-doubles last season — has five double-doubles this season, while Stigler owns three and Clem has two. … Clem posted her first collegiate double-double with 16 assists and 12 digs v. Marian on Sept. 10, and Stigler recorded her first collegiate double-double with 21 kills and 16 digs — both career-highs — against Webster on Sept. 16.

• DIGGING IT: Berg heads into Saturday’s matchup against St. Catherine owning a team-high 230 digs, and has collected 10 or more digs in 11 of the Cardinals’ 15 matches this season. … McNally is currently second on the team with 173 digs, followed by Schmidt with 121, Stigler with 100, and Clem and Hannah Herrem (Fall Creek, Wis.) with 75.

• SERVING UP ACES: Along with her team-leading 230 digs, Berg also leads the team — and the conference — with 32 service aces. Clem is second on the team with 19 aces, followed by Clem with 21 and Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) with 19. … As a team, Saint Mary’s owns 122 aces through 15 matches.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Four of Saint Mary’s seven wins have been 3-0 sweeps, with the other three wins coming in four sets. SMU has played four five-set matches, dropping all five.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: The 2021 season is the first at the helm for Cardinal coach Amber Zitzow — who picked up her first Saint Mary’s victory with a 3-0 win over Marian on Sept. 2. Zitzow spent the 2021 season as an assistant coach at UM-Morris, after serving 12 seasons at Rochester Community Technical College (RCTC), the first four as an assistant coach and the last eight as the Yellowjackets’ head coach.

ST. CATHERINE WILDCATS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: St. Catherine heads into its second conference match of the weekend on Saturday at Saint Mary’s sitting at 10-5 overall, including 1-1 in MIAC play.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Wildcats suffered their first MIAC setback of the season on Friday, as Concordia rallied from a 2-1 deficit to hand St. Catherine a 3-2 setback at Butler Center Gym in St. Paul, Minn.

• STREAKING: The Wildcats had their two-match winning streak snapped on Wednesday, falling to 13th-ranked UW-Stevens Point 3-2. SCU has put together a pair of three-match winning streaks as well as a two-match run. The Wildcats have yet to lose back-to-back matches this season.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Friday’s match against Concordia was the Wildcats’ third straight home contest. SCU has played seven matches on their home court, compiling a 4-3 record. SCU is 6-2 away from Butler Center, including 4-1 in neutral-site contests.

• ON THE ATTACK: St. Catherine heads into Saturday’s matchup against Saint Mary’s boasting three players who have eclipsed the 100-kill mark this season. Maggie Rosen leads the way with 148 kills, followed by Tiffany Tellez (116) and Madison Fagan (111). 

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Marissa Gilbertson and Haley Smith have shared the setting duties for the Wildcats, with Gilbertson amassing a team-leading 318 assists, followed by Smith with 188 helpers. … Gilbertson has recorded 10 or ore assists in 14 of the team’s 15 matches, including 24 assists vs. Concordia on Friday night, and owns a season-high 34-assist effort against Central (Iowa) on Sept. 10.

• DIGGING IT: Claire Segner has recorded a team-leading 219 digs and leads four players with 100 or more digs — being joined by Lexie Petrick (143), Tellez (121), and Gilbertson (107). … Segner has put together 11 matches of 10 or more digs, including a season-high 20-dig effort against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 2.

• SERVING UP ACES: SCU has six players who have served up 10 or more aces this season, led by Petrick with 28. Segner is second on the team with 21, followed by Essig (18), Fagan (13), Gilbertson (12), and Smith (12).

• AS A TEAM: St. Catherine has posted 663 kills (11.55 kps), 599 assists (10.42 aps), 182 aces (2.21 aps), and 881 digs (15.09 dps) through 14 matches. … Five of SCU’s 10 wins this season have been 3-0 sweeps. The Wildcats also own four, four-set wins, and one five-setter. On the flip side, three of St. Catherine’s five losses have gone the maximum five sets. SCU has been swept once and lost once in four sets.