GRINNELL, Iowa — If the Saint Mary's University volleyball team was feeling any ill effects after dropping a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Grinnell Friday evening, the Cardinals certainly didn't show it when they returned to the court on Saturday.
 
The Cardinals rolled to a convincing 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran in their opening match Saturday, before closing a near-perfect 3-1 showing at the Grinnell/Central Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Buena Vista in their fourth and final match.
 
Saint Mary's dominated the first two sets against Bethany Lutheran, winning 25-17 and 25-15, before needing a little "overtime" to complete the sweep with a 29-27 marathon win in the third set.
 
The Cardinals split their first two sets against Buena Vista, winning 27-25 in the opening set, before falling 25-19 in set No. 2. From there, however, Saint Mary's took control, winning 25-21 and 25-17 to seal the victory.
 
Abbie Stigler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) led the way for the Cardinals against Bethany Lutheran, racking up a then-career-high 10 kills, while Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) and Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) chipped in eight and six kills, respectively. Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) dished out a team-best 17 assists, two more than Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.), with Peyton Berg (Chatfield, Minn.) delivering a team-high 14 digs.
 
Stigler was at it again against Buena Vista, etching a new career-high with 11 kills, one more than both McNally and Elise Amerongen (Lake Elmo, Minn.). Schmidt owned a team-best 23 assists, and Berg picked up a team-leading 20 digs.
 
The Cardinals (3-1 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they head to Stevens Point, Wis., for nonconference matches against UW-Stevens Point and Marian.