WINONA, Minn. — Coming off one of their best overall performances of the season in a heartbreaking, 3-2 marathon loss to Saint Benedict on Friday, the Saint Mary's University volleyball team was back on the court less than 24 hours later.
And the Cardinals just did not have enough left in the tank.
Saint Mary's got double-doubles from both
Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and
Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.), but it was not nearly enough, as Concordia rattled off three straight set wins in dealing the Cardinals a 3-0 conference setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
The Cardinals appeared to be in complete control in the opening set, building an early four-point, 8-4 lead, and cruising along at 18-15 through the first 33 points. The three-point deficit seemed to light a fire under the Cobbers, however, as CC rattled off five of the next six points for their first lead of the match, 19-18, and never relinquished the advantage, rolling to a 25-22 victory.
Concordia led from start to finish in the second set to grab a 2-0 lead, recording the first two points of the set and building leads as big as 10, before settling for a nine-point, 25-16 victory.
Neither teamed seemed to want to play with the lead in the third set — which included 11 ties through 32 points. The Cobbers wrestled control from the Cardinals, rattling off three straight points for a 19-16 advantage, and, after SMU clawed within one on two separate occasions, CC won five of the final seven points to seal the 25-22 win.
Stigler and
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) each collected a team-high 12 kills, while Stigler added 12 digs for her second straight double-double. Clem chipped in a 15-assist, 10-dig effort and
Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) added a team-best 19 assists and
Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) led the way with 20 digs.
After four consecutive home matches, the Cardinals (2-5 MIAC, 9-13 overall) kick off the first of five straight road contests on Wednesday, when they travel to Macalester's Leonard Center Gym for a 7 p.m. conference matchup against the Scots.
