ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team put together a triple-double in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against Macalester Wednesday evening, as Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) both finished in double figures in both kills and digs, while Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) added an assist-dig double-double.
 
Unfortunately, the trio's efforts were not enough to get the Cardinals over the hump, as Macalester dealt SMU a 3-1 setback at Leonard Center.
 
Macalester took control from start to finish in the opening set. After ties at 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5, the Scots slowly began to pull away, leading by as many as seven, 20-13, before settling for a six-point, 25-19 victory.
 
The second set could have easily gone either way, and fortunately for the Cardinals, it went theirs.
 
Saint Mary's grabbed its first lead of the match three points in to Set 2, and held a two-point lead on five separate occasions, before back-to-back kills Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) and Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) — and a Macalester attack error — gave SMU control of the set at 23-19. The Cardinals would record two of the next three points to seal the 25-20 victory.
 
Macalester wrestled the momentum away from the Cardinals in the third set, recording nine of the first 13 points for a 9-4 advantage. SMU would cut the deficit to two on three occasions, but the Scots — fueled by a 7-1 run — built its lead to eight, 19-11 and never looked back in grabbing a 2-1 lead with a 25-21 victory.
 
The fourth set proved to be a nailbiter from the first serve to the last. In a set that included 14 ties, Saint Mary's would only play with the lead twice — 12-11 and 18-17 — while the Scots held two-point leads five different times, before taking its biggest lead of the match, 23-20. Saint Mary's whittled the deficit to one, 24-23, but an Eliza King kill iced the Scots' 25-23 win.
 
Stigler led the way for the Cardinals, collecting 16 kills and adding 13 digs, while McNally chipped in 14 kills and 13 digs. Schmidt dished out 22 assists and tallied 12 digs, with Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) adding 15 assists. Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) led four SMU players in double figures in digs, finishing with 26.
 
The Cardinals (2-6 MIAC, 9-14 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 3 p.m. conference showdown against Bethel.
 
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