SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023: 9-13 Overall

AUGUSTANA VIKINGS

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2023: 14-4 Overall

CROWN POLARS

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2023: 2-16 Overall

NORTH CENTRAL CARDINALS

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2023: 12-6 Overall

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SMU-AUG * LAST MEETING:

Sept. 28, 2019 * Rock Island, IL

W, 3-1 * Series History

SMU-CROWN * LAST MEETING:

Sept. 10, 2016 * St. Paul, MN

W, 3-0 * Series History

SMU-NCC * LAST MEETING:

Oct. 9, 2015 * Naperville, IL

L, 3-1 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 6, 2023 * Winona, MN

Augsburg * L, 3-1

AUGUSTANA * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 11, 2023 * Rock Island, IL

Elmhurst * W, 3-1

CROWN * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 6, 2023 * St. Paul, MN

#4 Northwestern * L, 3-0

NORTH CENTRAL * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 10, 2023 * Wheaton, IL

Wheaton * L, 3-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Oct. 20, 2023 * Winona, MN

St. Catherine * 7 p.m.

Oct. 21, 2023 * Duluth, MN

St. Scholastica * 5 p.m.

AUGUSTANA * UP NEXT: 

Oct. 20, 2023 * North Park, IL

#20 North Park * 7 p.m.

CROWN * UP NEXT: 

Oct. 17, 2023 * St. Bonifacius, MN

Martin Luther * 7 p.m.

NORTH CENTRAL * UP NEXT: 

Oct. 18, 2023 * Kenosha, WI

Carthage * 7 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their three tournament matches at North Central sitting at 9-13 overall, including sporting a 2-4 mark in six conference contests.

• LAST ACTION: Saint Mary’s had its two-match winning streak snapped last Friday, as Augsburg dealt the Cardinals a 3-1 conference setback at the Saint Mary’s Gym.

• GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Cardinals set a program record when they held Carleton to just seven second-set points in their 3-0 win over the Knights on Oct. 4. Saint Mary’s had previously held opponents to eight points in a set three times — beating Finlandia 25-8 on Sept. 2, 2011; and winning 25-8 over both Aurora on Sept. 6, 2013 and Rowan on Oct. 8, 2016.

• SWEEPING UP: Twelve of Saint Mary’s 21 matches this season have been decided by 3-0 sweeps. The Cardinals are 4-8 in those 12 contests — beating Marian, Lawrence, Luther, and Carleton, while falling to Elmhurst, UW-Superior, Coe, the University of Dubuque, No. 18 Gustavus, Concordia, Saint Benedict, and Nebraska Wesleyan.

• GOING THE DISTANCE: With their 3-2 loss to Central-Iowa on Sept. 23, Saint Mary’s has now played six matches that have been extended to a fifth set. The Cardinals are 3-3 in those six contests — beating UMN Morris, Northland, and Buena Vista, while falling to UW-La Crosse, Monmouth, and Central-Iowa.

• ON THE ATTACK: Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) heads into tournament play boasting a team-high 315 kills through 22 matches — tops in the MIAC — and is one of four Cardinals who have eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn.) is sitting second on the team with 201 kills, followed by Jazzy Davis (La Crosse, Wis.) with 142 and Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) with 142.

• JOINING THE CLUB: With her ninth kill against Central-Iowa on Sept. 23, McNally became the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. McNally enters this weekend’s matches owning 1,074 kills, leaving her 12th all-time. Next up: Brandi Blattner ’18 with 1,164.

• DOUBLE DIGITS: McNally has recorded at least 10 kills in 19 of the Cardinals’ 22 matches this season, including four matches of 20 or more kills. … McNally tallied a season-high 24 kills against UMN Morris on Sept. 2.

• HITTING 10 x 4: The Cardinals had a season-high four players record 10 or more kills in their 3-2 win over Buena Vista on Sept. 19. Bruchert led the way with 18, followed by McNally with 14, Olson with 12, and Davis with 10.

• HITTING 20 x 2: Saint Mary’s boasted two players with 20+ kills in its 3-2 win over UMN Morris on Sept. 2 — McNally led the charge with 24 and Olson chipped in 21.

• CAREER BESTS: The Cardinals have had four players post career-highs of 10 or more kills this season. Olson recorded a career-best 21 kills against UMN Morris on Sept. 2, while Bruchert delivered a career-high 19 kills at Buena Vista on Sept. 19; Davis tallied a career-high 15 vs. Loras on Sept. 15, and Baker recorded 10 vs. Lawrence on Sept. 1.

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) has accounted for 737 of the Cardinals’ 847 assists this season, including a single-match career high of 53 against Monmouth on Sept. 16. … VanErp has delivered at least 20 helpers in 20 of SMU’s 22 matches this season, including 30 or more helpers 12 times. … VanErp’s 53 assists against Loras on Sept. 16 marked the second time the junior has delivered 50 of more assists, and were the most since Lillian Braun recorded a 53-assist performance against Coe on Sept. 27, 2019.

• DOUBLING UP: McNally, who led the team with 14 double-doubles in 2022, has recorded 11 kill-dig double-doubles this season, while VanErp has notched the first nine set-dig double-doubles of her collegiate career.

• DIGGING IT: Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) leads the Cardinals in digs with 317, followed by McNally (212), VanErp (181), Devann Clemens (Chatfield, Minn. / 134), and Alison Wu (Woodbury, Minn. / 130). … Rossow posted a career-high 30 digs against UMN Morris on Sept. 2, while five other Cardinals — VanErp (18), Clemens (16), Wu (16), Isabella Schei (Stewartville, Minn. / 13), and Ashley Rogers (Onamia, Minn. / 12) — have also recorded single-match career-highs of 10+ digs. … As a team, SMU has put a season-high five players in double figures in digs twice — against Central-Iowa on Sept. 23 and vs. Augsburg on Oct. 6.

• SERVING UP ACES: Along with her team-leading 737 assists, VanErp also leads the team with 39 service aces.  Olson (24), Rossow (24), Clemens (17), Wu (15), and McNally (14) have also reached double figures in aces this season. … As a team, Saint Mary’s owns 146 aces through 22 matches. … Saint Mary’s recorded a season-high eight aces against Marian on Sept. 1.

• WEEKLY HONOR: Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) was named MIAC Specialty Player of the Week on Sept. 6, after racking up racking up 136 assists, two assist-dig double-doubles and eight service aces in SMU’s four Sugar Loaf Classic matches.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: SMU boasts 934 kills (11.39 kps), 847 assists, 146 aces, 1,254 digs, and 103 blocks in 22 matches. … The Cardinals have recorded 60 or more kills in a match three times — posting 62 against Central-Iowa on Sept. 23, 65 against Monmouth on Sept. 16, and a season-high 66 at Buena Vista on Sept. 19 — while also tallying a season-high 61 assists against both Monmouth and Buena Vista. … SMU is 8-14 in the first set this season, while going 8-14 in the second, 10-12 in the third, 6-4 in the fourth, and 3-3 in the fifth. … SMU has played just four matches decided in four sets — beating Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 9 and St. Olaf on Sept. 30, while falling to Loras on Sept. 15 and Augsburg on Oct. 6.

AUGUSTANA SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Vikings head into this weekend’s tournament matches sitting at 14-4 overall, including sporting a 3-2 mark in the CCIW.

• LAST ACTION: Augustana picked up its second straight conference win Wednesday evening, rattling off 26-24 and 25-18 wins in the final two sets to beat Elmhurst 3-1 in Rock Island, Ill.

• ON A ROLL: With their win over Elmhurst on Wednesday, the Vikings pushed their winning streak to four, having dropped Grinnell (3-0), Loras (3-0), and Carthage (3-2) prior to their 3-1 win over the Bluejays.

• ROAD WARRIORS: With their three matches at the Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament this weekend, the Vikings will begin an eight-match streak in which seven are on the road — the lone exception an Oct. 24 showdown against the University of Dubuque. … Augustana is a near-perfect 7-1 on its home court — its only loss a 3-1 setback to UW-Platteville on Sept. 16 — while going 7-3 away from Roy J. Carver Center. 

• ON THE ATTACK: Emily Schipper has been a kills machine for the Vikings this season, racking up 289 kills in 18 matches. Schipper is one of three Augustana players who have eclipsed the 100-kill mark, being joined by Jaden Julius (162) and Syd Krueger (110). … Schipper has collected 10 or more kills in all 18 contests this season — including 21 kills against both Grinnell and Adrian, and a season-high 23 kills vs. North Central (Ill.) on Sept. 19. … Schipper boasts a team-high 10 kill-0dig double-doubles, while Julius — who has eight 10+ kill performances this season — owns one. 

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Amelie Baehr-Ross has accounted for 625 of the team’s 748 assists, and has dished out at least 15 helpers in all 18 contests — including 15 30+ performances. … Baehr-Ross has reached the 40+ assist mark three times — recording 45 assists against both Elmhurst and Carthage, and tallying a season-high 48 assists against North Central (Ill.) on Sept. 19. … Baehr-Ross has posted 10 assist-dig double-doubles.

• DIGGING IT: Augustana boasts four players who have recorded 100 or more digs, led by Grace Vranicar with 391. Baehr-Ross (193), Leah Rizzo (184), and Schipper have also surpassed the century mark in digs this season. … Vranicar has delivered at least 10 digs in 17 of the team’s 18 matches, and owns 10 20+ dig performances. …. Vranicar collected a season-best 34 digs against Coe on Sept. 8.

• SERVING UP ACES: Augustana has recorded 161 service aces and has gotten at least one ace from 13 different players. … Baehr-Ross leads the Vikings with 38 aces, two more than Krueger, with Vranicar third with 28 aces.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, Augustana has amassed 847 kills (11.76 kps), 746 assists (10.36 aps), 161 aces (2.24 aps), 1328 digs (18.44 dps), and 118 blocks (1.64 bps). … The Vikings have gone 6-1 in three-set matches and 3-1 in four-setters. Augustana has played seven matches extended to a fifth set, sporting a 5-2 record in those seven contests. … The Vikings posted season-highs in kills (63) and assists (59) against North Central (ill.) on Sept. 19, while posting a season-best 103 digs against Coe on Sept. 8. 

CROWN SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Polars head into this weekend’s three tournament matches sitting at 2-16 overall, while still searching for their first UMAC win (0-7).

• LAST ACTION: Crown was no match for the nation’s fourth-ranked team, as Northwestern (Minn.) held the Polars to 15 points or less in cruising to a 3-0 conference victory Friday evening in St. Paul, Minn.

• ROAD WOES: Crown enters the weekend looking to pick up its first road win of the season. The Storm are 2-6 on their home court, but are winless (0-10) on the road.

• LIMPING IN: The Polars’ loss to fourth-ranked Northwestern last Friday extended their season-high losing streak to nine matches. Crown has also struggled through two- and four-match losing streaks this season.

• ON THE ATTACK: Alyssa Heagney heads into the weekend as the Polars’ offensive leader, owning a team-best 149 kills, while hitting .124. … Sydney Cotton is second to Heagney with 72 kills, followed by Jocelynn Shockley with 63 and Aryanna Puetz with 50. … Heagney has recorded 10 or more kills seven times this season, including a season-best 19-kill effort against Trinity Bible (N.D.) on Sept. 9. … Heagney has posted three kill-dig double-doubles this season.

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Shaelyn McNeill and Kamber Brown have shared the setting duties for the Polars, with both entering tournament play this weekend with 159 helpers. … McNeill has posted seven 10+ assist performances, including a season-best 18 assists against Carleton on Sept. 13, while Brown has reached double figures six times, and owns the team’s top single-match effort with 22 helpers against Martin Luther on Sept. 29. … McNeill leads the team with five assist-dig double-doubles, with Brown chipping in one.

• DIGGING IT: The Polars boast five players who have eclipsed the 100-dig mark, led by Maggie Claussen, who owns a team-best 331 digs. Heagney (181), Emma Holey (121), McNeill (120), and Brown (115) have also delivered more than 100 digs this season. … Clausen has posted 10 or more digs 15 times, and has reached 20 or seven times. … Claussen posted 31 digs against Calvary on Sept. 8, and tallied a season-best 37 digs against Trinity Bible (N.D.) the following day.

• SERVING UP ACES: Crown has recorded 58 service aces, led by Heagney with 11. Claussen and Puetz are second on the squad with nine aces, followed by McNeill with eight.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Fourteen of the Polars’ 18 matches this season have been decided in three sets. Crown is 1-13 in those 14 3-0 decisions — the lone win a 3-0 sweep of Oak Hills Christian. The Polars’ other victory this season was a four-set win over Trinity Bible (N.D.). … As a team, Crown has amassed 408 digs, 369 assists, 57 aces, 1,148 digs, and 55 blocks in 18 contests. … Crown posted season highs in kills (41), assists (39), and digs (103) in its 3-1 win over Trinity Bible (N.D.) on Sept. 9.

NORTH CENTRAL SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their two-day home tournament sitting at 12-6 overall, including a 2-3 showing through the first five matches of the CCIW schedule.

• LAST ACTION: North Central dropped the first two sets of its CCIW match against Wheaton (Ill.) on Tuesday and could never recover, falling to the Thunder 3-1 in Wheaton, Ill.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Beginning with their three matches at this weekend’s Tiffany Robinson Memorial Tournament, the Cardinals will play eight of their final 10 matches on their home court. … North Central boasts a 6-1 mark at home — the lone loss a 3-1 setback to Illinois Wesleyan on Oct. 3 — while going 6-5 away from Gregory Arena.

• ON THE ATTACK: Abbi Barickman leads a trio of Cardinals who have delivered 100 or more kills this season, heading into tournament play with 226 kills. Lauren Benson (111) and Riley Clark (107) have also eclipsed the 100-kill mark. … Barickman reached 10+ kills 13 times this season, including a season-high 22-kill effort against Washington (Mo.) University on Sept. 1. … Barickman owns North Central’s only two kill-dig double-doubles.

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Maddi Barickman has accounted for 637 of North Central’s 754 assists this season, and has reached double figures in assists in all 18 matches — including 13 matches with 30 or more helpers. … Barickman has dished out 40+ assists six times, and owns a season-best 54-assist performance against Augustana (Ill.) on Sept. 19. … Barickman has posted six assist-kill double-doubles this season.

• DIGGING IT: Alessa Zebold leads five Cardinals who have racked up 100 or more digs this season, owning a team-best 203. Maddi Barickman (158), Aidan Brown (145), Taylor O’Malley (134), and Abbie Barickman (113) are also members of the 100-dig club. … Zebold owns a team-best 15 matches with 10+ digs, including a season-high 30-dig showing against Washington (Mo.) University on Sept. 1.

• SERVING UP ACES: North Central has amassed 112 service aces, led by Maddi Barickman with 27. O’Malley (19), Benson (19), and Brown (14) have also reached double figures in aces this season.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, North Central has recorded 812 kills (12.49 kps), 754 assists (11.60 aps), 112 aces (1.72 aps), 993 digs (15.28 dps), and 107 blocks (1.65 bps). … Seven of North Central’s 12 wins this season have been 3-0 sweeps. The Cardinals are 7-2 in three-set matches, while going 3-4 in four-setters. North Central has played two matches extended to a fifth set, winning both. … The Cardinals posted a season-highs in kills (67), assists (63), and digs (86) against Augustana (Ill.) on Sept. 19.