SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS
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2022: 4-3 Overall
BUENA VISTA BEAVERS
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2022: 3-6 Overall
WEBSTER GORLOCKS
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2022: 2-1 Overall
KNOX PRAIRIE FIRE
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2022: 3-4 Overall
GRINNELL PIONEERS
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2022: 6-2 Overall
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Live Stats * Tournament Homepage
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 16 * Court 1
UW-Stevens Point v. Gustavus, 5:00
Loras v. UW-Stevens Point, 7:00
Friday, Sept. 16 * Court 2
Buena Vista v. Saint Mary’s, 3:00
Buena Vista v. Webster, 5:00
Saint Mary’s v. Webster, 7:00
Saturday, Sept. 17 * Court 1
Loras v. Webster, 10:00
Gustavus v. Grinnell, Noon
Loras v. Gustavus, 2:00
Saturday, Sept. 17 * Court 2
Knox v. Saint Mary’s, 10:00
Knox v. Webster, Noon
Grinnell v. Saint Mary’s, 2:00
SMU-BUENA VISTA * LAST MEETING:
Sept. 3, 2022 * Pella, IA
W, 3-1 * Series History
SMU-WEBSTER * LAST MEETING:
First-Ever Meeting
SMU-KNOX * LAST MEETING:
First-Ever Meeting
SMU-GRINNELL * LAST MEETING:
Sept. 2, 2022 * Grinnell, IA
L, 3-2 * Series History
SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:
Sept. 13, 2022 * Winona, MN
#24 Augsburg * L, 3-0
BUENA VISTA * LAST ACTION:
Sept. 14, 2022 * Waverly, IA
Wartburg * L, 3-1
WEBSTER * LAST ACTION:
Sept. 14, 2022 * St. Louis, MO
Washington (Mo.) U. * L, 3-0
KNOX * LAST ACTION:
Sept. 13, 2022 * Carlinville, IL
Blackburn * W, 3-1
GRINNELL * LAST ACTION:
Sept. 13, 2022 * Grinnell, IA
Central-Iowa * W, 3-0
SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:
Sept. 23-24, 2022 * Ripon, WI
Ripon Red Hawk Invitational
BUENA VISTA * UP NEXT:
Sept. 17, 2022 * Storm Lake, IA
Martin Luther * 1:00
WEBSTER UP NEXT:
Sept. 21, 2022 * St. Louis, MO
Rose-Hulman * 7:00
KNOX UP NEXT:
Sept. 23, 2022 * Galesburg, IL
Cornell (Iowa) * 7:00
GRINNELL UP NEXT:
Sept. 23, 2022 * Monmouth, IL
Monmouth * 7:00
SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into this weekend’s four matches at the Loras Invitational sitting at 4-3 overall.
• LAST ACTION: The Cardinals came up empty in their conference-opening match against 24th-ranked Augsburg last Tuesday, falling to the Auggies 3-0 at the Saint Mary’s Gym.
• FAMILIAR FOES: The Cardinals will face both Buena Vista and Grinnell for a second time this season when they square off this weekend in Dubuque, Iowa. SMU beat Buena Vista 3-1, while falling to Grinnell 3-2, at the season-opening Grinnell/Central Invitational.
• ROAD WARRIORS: Wednesday’s match against Augsburg was the home opener for the Cardinals, who played their first six matches on the road, and will play 14 of their first 15 contests away from the Saint Mary’s Gym.
• ON THE ATTACK: Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) and Braidyn Ruetten (Holmen, Wis.) both recorded a team-best seven kills in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to No. 24 Augsburg. … McNally heads into the weekend leading the team with 89 kills, followed by Ruetten and Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) with 49 each, and Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) with 35. … McNally delivered a single-match season-high 28 kills against Grinnell on Sept. 2, and has now recorded 10 or more kills 26 times in her collegiate career — including six matches of 20 or more kills.
• ON THE ATTACK, PART II: The Cardinals had two players record career-highs of 10 or more kills during the season-opening Grinnell/Central Invitational. Bruchert recorded 10 kills in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss to Grinnell, while Stigler posted 11 kills in SMU’s 3-1 win over Buena Vista the following afternoon.
• 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 114 assists, followed closely by Clem with 98. … With her 24 assists against Grinnell on Sept. 2 and 24 vs. Buena Vista on Sept.3, Schmidt has now recorded at least 20 helpers in a match 16 times in the past two seasons.
• DOUBLING UP: McNally picked up her team-leading fourth double-double against Marian last Saturday, posting 16 kills and 16 digs. Schmidt — who led the team with seven double-doubles last season — has a pair of double-doubles, while Clem collected her first of the season with 16 assists and 12 digs v. Marian last Saturday.
• DIGGING IT: Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) heads into the weekend owning a team-high 107 digs, including a career-best 25-dig effort against Grinnell on Sept. 2. … Berg has collected 10 or more digs in five of the Cardinals’ seven matches this season. … McNally is currently second on the team with 78 digs, followed by Schmidt with 56 and Hannah Herman (Fall Creek, Wis.) with 45.
• SERVING UP ACES: Along with her team-leading 107 digs, Berg also leads the team — and the conference — with 27 service aces. Clem and Herman have also reached double figures in aces with 12 and 11, respectively. … As a team, Saint Mary’s owns 71 aces through seven matches.
• FAST START: The Cardinals have won the first set in all four of their wins this season, while going 0-3 when losing the first set of the match.
• 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.
BUENA VISTA BEAVERS SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Beavers enter Loras Invitational play sitting at 3-6 overall, including an 0-1 record in American Rivers Conference (A-F-C) play.
• LAST TIME OUT: Wartburg escaped with a 25-23 win in the third set and cruised to a 25-11 win in the fourth in dealing Buena Vista a 3-1 loss in the teams’ conference-opening match Wednesday in Waverly, Iowa.
• LIMPING IN: After opening the season with three straight wins at the Grinnell/Central Invitational, Buena Vista has dropped its last six matches.
• ROAD WARRIORS: With their matches against Saint Mary’s and Webster on Friday, the Beavers will have played 10 of their first 11 contests on the road, including nine neutral-site matches. … Buena Vista will play six of its remaining 11 matches on the road — including a visit to Winona, Minn., for a third meeting with Saint Mary’s on Oct. 12.
• ON THE ATTACK: Rachel Brockney has been the offensive leader for the Beavers, racking up 106 kills in nine matches, followed by Courtney Johnson with 68 and Skylar Cole with 62. … Brockney has recorded 10 or more kills in six of the team’s nine contests, including a season-high 22-kill effort against Carroll on Sept. 9.
• GIVING AN ASSIST: Taylor Wedemeyer has amassed 291 assists, account for all but 43 of the team’s 334 helpers. … Wedemeyer has delivered 20 or more assists in all nine matches and has eclipsed the 40-assist mark twice — dishing out 43 against Greenville on Sept. 2 and a season-high 44 vs. Carroll on Sept. 9.
• DOUBLING UP: Brockney has collected a team-leading six double-doubles, while Wedemeyer has chipped in four.
• DIGGING IT: BVU boasts two players who have eclipsed the 100-dig plateau — Molly Bense leads the way with 133, 20 more than Brockney. Wedemeyer is third on the team with 84 digs, followed by Hannah Smith with 82 and Kaylee Nosbisch with 74. … Bense and Brockney have both recorded 10 or more kills in eight of the team’s nine matches, with Bense’s 20-dig effort against Wartburg last Wednesday the team’s single-match, season-high.
• SERVING UP ACES: Smith has delivered a team-leading 12 service aces and is one of three Beavers with at least 10 aces this season. Brockney is second to Smith with 11 aces, one more than Johnson.
• AS A TEAM: Buena Vista has recorded 360 kills through nine matches (10.59 kps), while posting 334 assists, 58 aces, and 558 digs. … Two of BVU’s three wins have come via 3-0 sweeps, with the other a 3-1 victory. On the flip side, four of the Beavers’ six losses have come in four sets. BVU has also dropped on 3-0 decision and one five-setter.
WEBSTER GORLOCKS SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: Webster comes into the Loras Invitational having played just three matches, compiling a 2-1 overall record.
• LAST TIME OUT: Webster gave No. 21 Washington (Mo.) University all it could handle in the opening set of their match Wednesday, but the Gorlocks could not match that performance the rest of the way, falling 25-5 and 25-16 in dropping a 3-0 decision in St. Louis, Mo.
• STREAKING: Webster’s 3-0 loss to Washington (Mo.) University Wednesday snapped the Gorlocks’ season-opening two-match winning streak.
• ROAD WARRIORS: Two of Webster’s first three matches have been on the road. The Gorlocks will play six of their first seven contests on the road, before returning home to face Rose-Hulman on Sept. 21.
• ON THE ATTACK: Lauren Borik leads the Gorlocks with 40 kills and is one of four Webster players with 10 or more kills through three matches, being joined by Abby Jacobs (21), Kaylee Porteil (18), and Tyler Ramstack (13). … Borik has delivered 10 or more kills in two of the team’s three matches, including a season-high 20-kill effort against University of Health, Sciences and Pharmacy on Sept. 11.
• GIVING AN ASSIST: Ellie Biedenstein is the Gorlock’s assist leader with 59, with Delaney Demman and Emma Leppien chipping in 28 and 17 helpers, respectively. … Biedenstein dished out a season-best 30 assists against the University of Health, Sciences and Pharmacy on Sept. 11 and added a 23-assist night against Illinois College on Sept. 7.
• DIGGING IT: Cassie Gray has racked up 10 or more digs in two of Webster’s three matches — including a season-high 31 digs against the University of Health, Sciences and Pharmacy — and leads the team with 60 digs. Borik is second on the team with 42 digs, followed by Biedenstein with 33 and Ramstack with 30.
• SERVING UP ACES: Seven different Gorlocks have recorded at least one ace serve, led by Borik with five, Abby Jacobs with four, and Biedenstein with three.
• AS A TEAM: Webster owns 129 kills and is hitting .124 in its first three matches. The Gorlocks have collected 119 assists, 20 aces, and 228 digs. … The Gorlocks have been extended to a maximum five sets in beating both Illinois College and the University of Health, Science and Pharmacy, while being swept by Washington (Mo.) University in its lone loss.
KNOX PRAIRIE FIRE SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Prairie Fire head into the weekend one game below .500, sitting at 3-4 overall.
• LAST TIME OUT: Knox picked up its third win in its last four matches, breaking a 1-1 tie with wins of 25-22 and 25-18 to secure a 3-1 nonconference win over Blackburn last Tuesday in Carlinville, Ill.
• STREAKING: After opening the season with three consecutive losses, the Prairie Fire have rattled off wins in three of their last four, the lone setback, a 3-2 decision to Eureka on Sept. 10.
• ROAD WARRIORS: Knox has played five of its first seven matches on the road. Following their two road matches at the Loras Invitational this weekend, the Prairie Fire will play four straight matches on their home court. … Knox is 1-1 at home, while going 2-3 on the road through the season’s first seven contests.
• ON THE ATTACK: Catessa Duran has been a dominant force in the Prairie Fire offense, recording 96 kills (4.0 kps) and is hitting .198. Abbie Layne is second on the team with 44 kills (2.0 kps). … Duran has recorded 10 or more kills in four of Knox’s seven matches, including a 21-kill effort against Blackburn on Tuesday and a season-high 26-kill showing against Eureka last Saturday.
• GIVING AN ASSIST: Katie Anderson has recorded 200 of the team’s 250 assists through seven matches. She is the only player with more than 20 helpers this season. … Anderson has delivered more than 30 assists in a match four times — highlighted by 40 assists against Blackburn on Wednesday and a season-high 53 against Eureka last Saturday.
• DOUBLING UP: Anderson owns four of the team’s five double-doubles — all of the assist-dig variety — while Duran boasts one kill-dig double-double.
• DIGGING IT: Emme Patton is the Prairie Fire’s digs leader with 102, followed by Anderson (79) and Kaitlyn Kashishian (57). … Patton has recorded 19 or more digs in all seven contests this season, and posted a season-best 38 digs in Knox’s five-set loss to Eureka last Saturday.
• SERVING UP ACES: As a team, Knox has served up 70 aces, including at least one ace from 13 different players. Anderson leads the way for the Prairie Fire with 18 aces, nine more than Autumn Rapp and Emma Curry.
• AS A TEAM: The Prairie Fire has collected 274 kills through seven matches (10.4 kps) and are hitting .148 as a team. Knox owns 250 assists (9.6 aps) and has posted 70 aces (2.7 aps) and 401 digs (15.4 dps).
GRINNELL PIONEERS SCOUTING REPORT:
• FOR THE RECORD: The Pioneers arrive at the Loras Invitational sitting at 6-2 overall
• LAST TIME OUT: Grinnell picked up its third win in its last four contests on Tuesday, as the Pioneers rolled to a convincing 3-0 win over Central (Iowa).
• FACING THE MIAC: This weekend’s matches against Saint Mary’s and Gustavus mark the fourth and fifth time the Pioneers have squared off against a team from the MIAC. Grinnell put together back-to-back 3-2 wins over Saint Mary’s and Concordia at the season-opening Grinnell/Central Invitational, and added a 3-1 victory over Hamline last Saturday.
• STREAKING: The Pioneers head into the weekend having put together winning streaks of two and three matches en route to their 6-2 mark. Grinnell has not dropped back-to-back matches all season.
• HOME SWEET HOME: The Pioneers have played five of their first eight matches on their home court, going 4-1. Starting with Friday’s match against the University of Dubuque, Grinnell plays its next six matches — and seven of its next eight — on the road.
• ON THE ATTACK: The Pioneers boast six players with more than 40 kills through eight matches, led by Hayley Taka with 90 (2.73 kps). Malania Miles is second with 79, followed by Jenna Keller (57), Ella O’Neill (49), Nicole Mlynski (48), and Rachel Woock (51). … Taka has eclipsed 10 kills in five of the team’s eight matches, including a season-best 16-kill effort against Buena Vista on Sept. 6.
• GIVING AN ASSIST: Emily Brewer has been an assist machine for the Pioneers this season, accounting for 312 of the team’s 357 helpers. No other Pioneer has dished out 20 or more assists through eight matches. … Brewer has posted 25 or more assists in all eight contests, including five matches of 40 or more helpers. … Brewer recorded a season-best 49 assists against Saint Mary’s in the team’s first meeting on Sept. 2.
• DIGGING IT: Payton Lowrey heads into the weekend as the team’s digs leader with 174, nearly 100 more than Brewer (78) and Woock (76). … Lowrey recorded a season-best 34 digs against Concordia (Minn.) on Sept. 3, and has totaled 10 or more digs in all eight contests this season.
• SERVING UP ACES: Lowrey, Sophie Weber, and Brewer have accounted for 39 of the team’s 65 service aces. Lowrey leads the way with 14, followed by Weber with 13 and Brewer with 12.
• AS A TEAM: Grinnell has racked up 390 kills in eight matches (11.8 kps), while dishing out 357 assists (10.8 aps). The Pioneers own 554 digs (16.5 dps) and 65 aces (2.0 aps). … Three of Grinnell’s six wins have come by a 3-1 count. The Pioneers also own one three-set victory and a pair of 3-2 wins. On the flip side, both of Grinnell’s losses this season have come in four sets — a 3-1 setback to Greenville on Sept. 3 and a 3-1 loss to No. 12 Northwestern on Sept. 10.
