SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2023: 3-7 MIAC, 11-18 Overall

MACALESTER SCOTS

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2023: 2-8 MIAC, 8-16 Overall

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SMU-MAC * LAST MEETING:

Oct. 18, 2022 * St. Paul, MN

L, 3-1 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 28, 2023 * Winona, MN

Hamline * L, 3-0

MACALESTER * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 28, 2023 * Minneapolis, MN

Augsburg * L, 3-1

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

End of regular season

MACALESTER * UP NEXT:

End of regular season

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their season finale against Macalester sitting at 11-18 overall, including sporting a 3-7 mark in 10 conference contests.

• LAST ACTION: Saint Mary’s dropped a pair of conference matches last weekend at the Saint Mary’s Gym, falling to Bethel 3-2 last Friday, before dropping a 3-0 decision to Hamline the following evening.

• GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Cardinals have set a program record for fewest points allowed in a set twice this season, holding Carleton to just seven second-set points in SMU’s 3-0 win over the Knights on Oct. 4, before breaking that mark by limiting Crown to a meager five first-set points in Saint Mary’s 3-0 victory on Oct. 14. … Saint Mary’s has now held an opponent under 10 points in a set three times this season, also holding Crown to eight points in the third set last Saturday. … Prior to this season, 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: Sixteen of Saint Mary’s 29 matches this season have been decided by 3-0 sweeps. The Cardinals are 5-11 in those 16 contests — beating Marian, Lawrence, Luther, Carleton, and Crown, while falling to Elmhurst, UW-Superior, Coe, the University of Dubuque, No. 18 Gustavus, Concordia, Saint Benedict, Nebraska Wesleyan, Augustana (Ill.), North Central (Ill.), St. Catherine, and Hamline.

• GOING THE DISTANCE: With their 3-2 loss to Bethel last Saturday, Saint Mary’s has now played seven matches that have been extended to a fifth set. The Cardinals are 3-4 in those seven contests — beating UMN Morris, Northland, and Buena Vista, while falling to UW-La Crosse, Monmouth, Central-Iowa, and Bethel.

• ON THE ATTACK: Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) heads into Friday’s season finale against Macalester boasting a team-high 407 kills through 29 matches — second 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 277 kills, followed by Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) with 201, Jazzy Davis (La Crosse, Wis.) with 170, and Maddie Baker () with 103.

• 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 1,143 kills, leaving her 12th all-time. Next up: Brandi Blattner ’18 with 1,164.

• DOUBLE DIGITS: McNally has recorded at least 10 kills in 26 of the Cardinals’ 29 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 979 of the Cardinals’ 1,117 assists this season, including a single-match career high of 53 against Monmouth on Sept. 16. … VanErp has delivered at least 20 helpers in 27 of SMU’s 29 matches this season, including 30 or more helpers 17 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 15 kill-dig double-doubles this season, while VanErp has notched the first 10 set-dig double-doubles of her collegiate career.

• DIGGING IT: Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) leads the Cardinals in digs with 383, followed by McNally (282), VanErp (242), Alison Wu (Woodbury, Minn. / 163), and Devann Clemens (Chatfield, Minn. / 142). … Rossow posted a career-high 30 digs against UMN Morris on Sept. 2, while seven other Cardinals — McNally (21), VanErp (18), Clemens (16), Wu (16), Isabella Schei (Stewartville, Minn. / 14), Ashley Rogers (Onamia, Minn. / 12), and Davis (10) — 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 979 assists, VanErp also leads the team with 43 service aces. Olson (34), Rossow (33), Clemens (21), McNally (21), and Wu (20) have also reached double figures in aces this season. … As a team, Saint Mary’s owns 191 aces through 29 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 1,230 kills (11.60 kps), 1,117 assists (10.54 aps), 191 aces (1.80 aps), 1,625 digs (15.33 dps), and 119 blocks (1.12 bps) in 29 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 9-20 in the first set this season, while going 10-19 in the second, 13-16 in the third, 7-5 in the fourth, and 3-4 in the fifth. … SMU has played just five matches decided in four sets — beating Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 9, St. Olaf on Sept. 30, and St. Scholastica on Oct. 21, while falling to Loras on Sept. 15 and Augsburg on Oct. 6.

MACALESTER SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Scots head into their regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s sitting at 8-16 overall, including owning a 2-8 mark through 10 conference contests.

• LAST ACTION: Augsburg rattled off back-to-back set wins over 25-23 and 25-21 to break a 1-1 tie and deal the Scots a 3-1 conference setback last Saturday at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: After back-to-back road matches — and three road contests in their last four matches — the Scots close out the season on their home court Friday against Saint Mary’s. Macalester boasts a 4-5 mark in 10 home matches, while last Saturday’s loss to Augsburg dropped the Scots to 4-11 on the road in 2023.

• LIMPING IN: Macalester heads into its final match of 2023 in the midst of a three-match losing streak – including 3-1 losses to both Hamline and Augsburg last weekend. … Macalester has dropped eight of its last nine contests, the lone victory a 3-1 win over St. Scholastica on Oct. 18.

• ON THE ATTACK: The Scots boast five players who have eclipsed the 100-kill mark this season, led by Adisa Preston, who has delivered 285 kills in 24 matches. Avery Rahe (150), Stephanie Geber (124), Grace Watkins (108), and Sydney Stratton (102) have also earned membership in the 100-kill Club. … Preston has posted 10 or more kills a team-leading 18 times this season — including a season-high 22-kill effort against Luther on Sept. 9 — and owns six kill-dig double-doubles. 

• GIVING AN ASSIST: Hannah Morrow has accounted for 49 of the Scots’ 882 assists this season, and has dished out at least 10 helpers in all 24 contests this season. … Morrow has surpassed 40+ assists in a match seven times, including a single-match season-high 55-assist showing against Grinnell on Sept. 9. … Morrow has collected 15 assist-dig double-doubles this season.

• DIGGING IT: Torrance Williams has collected a team-leading 340 digs this season and is one of six players to record at least 100 digs through 24 matches, being joined by Morrow (269), Sarah Bohrer (220), Preston (211), Nicole Norton (118), and Jill MacInnis (114). … Torrance recorded her 1,000th career dig in last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Augsburg, is the 11th Scot in program history to reach the 1,000-dig mark, and she achieved the junior achieved the feat in just 74 matches. … Torrance has posted 10 or more digs 15 times this season.

• SERVING UP ACES: Macalester has picked up 159 service aces, and boast six players who have reached double-figures in aces. Preston leads the charge for the Scots, serving up 45 aces, followed by Morrow (27), Bohrer (20), MacInnis (19), Williams (16), and Norton (13).

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, Macalester owns 954 kills (10.48 kps), 882 assists (9.69 aps), 159 aces (1.75 aps), 1,470 digs (16.15 dps), and 122 blocks (1.35 bps. … Four of Macalester’s eight wins this season have come in four sets. Macalester owns a pair of 3-0 victories and beat Grinnell in five sets. On the flip side, the Scots have been swept in eight of their 16 losses. Macalester has also fallen five times in four sets and three times in matches extended to a fifth set.