NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The last time the Saint Mary's University volleyball team squared off against Augustana (Ill.), the Cardinals walked off the Vikings' home court with a 3-1 victory — SMU's fourth straight win in the teams' series history.
Â
Four years later, the Cardinals and Vikings renewed their rivalry — this time Friday evening at the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament.
Â
And the renewal didn't end the way the previous four meetings had, as Augustana grabbed a 25-19 win in the opening set and never let the Cardinals get on track, dealing Saint Mary's a 3-0 setback.
Â
The Vikings followed up their 25-19 Set 1 win with a 25-16 victory in the second set, and completed the sweep with a 25-18 victory in the third set, leading SMU sitting at 2-2 in its last four contests.
Â
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) led the charge for the Cardinals, recording 15 kills and 10 digs, while
Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) added 32 assists and
Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) finished with a team-best 16 digs.
Â
The Cardinals (9-14 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they closed out the two-day event with matches against Crown (10 a.m.) and host North Central (2 p.m.).
Â
Â
Â