DULUTH, Minn. – For the Saint Mary's University volleyball team, Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at St. Scholastica proved to be a battle for momentum.
 
The Saints grabbed it midway through the first set — and no matter how hard they tried, the Cardinals could not find a way to wrestle it back.
 
Saint Mary's appeared to control the momentum early in the first set, but once the Saints got rolling, there was no stopping them, as St. Scholastica rallied from that early first-set deficit and never let the Cardinals regain the upper hand in dealing SMU a 3-0 setback at Reif Gym
 
The Cardinals jumped out to a 12-10 lead to kick off the first set, only to have CSS rattle off six straight points for a four-point, 16-12 advantage — and Saint Mary's never recovered. SMU would cut the deficit to two, 18-16, but the Saints held the Cardinals at bay, ending the set on a 7-3 run — including securing the last two points — for a 25-19 win.
 
The Saints picked up right where they left off to open the second set, rattling off six unanswered points for an early 6-0 lead. Saint Mary's would claw its way back, pulling even at 12-12. The set would be tied 10 more times, including 25-25, only to have CSS serve up back-to-back points to steal the set, 27-25, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set looked eerily familiar to the second, with St. Scholastica grabbing the set's first five points. Unlike the second set, however, Saint Mary's did not have an answer this time around, as CSS built its lead to as many as 10 four times — including the 25-15, sweeping clinching final score.
 
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) recorded a team-high 15 kills for the Cardinals, while Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) chipped in a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs. Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) and Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) delivered 18 and 15 assists, respectively, while Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) finished with a team-best 23 digs.
 
The Cardinals (0-2 MIAC, 7-8 overall) are right back in action on Saturday, returning home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 5 p.m. MIAC matchup against St. Catherine.
 
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