ST. PETER, Minn. — As if squaring off against the 18th-ranked team in the country wasn't a daunting enough task, the Saint Mary's University volleyball team had to face a Gustavus team that had dropped a 3-2 decision in its most recent match on Wednesday.
 
And, unfortunately for SMU, the Gusties took out their frustrations on the Cardinals, cruising to a 3-0 victory Friday evening at Gus Lund Court.
 
Saint Mary's gave the Gusties all they could handle in the opening set, sitting deadlocked at 20-20 late in the set. The Gusties, however, rallied to win five of the next six points to seal a 25-21 victory.
 
The Cardinals hung right with the Gusties in the second set, as well, trailing by just one, 17-16. Once again, Gustavus had a late answer, closing the set on an 8-2 run to win 25-18 and grab a commanding 2-0 advantage.
 
And Saint Mary's had nothing left in the tank in the third set against the high-powered Gusties, as Gustavus completed the sweep with a commanding 20-12 victory.
 
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) delivered a team-best eight kills, two more than teammate Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) to pace the Cardinals, while Faith VanErp dished out 19 assists and seven digs, and Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) chipped in seven digs of her own
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 7-8 overall) are right back in action on Saturday, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 2 p.m. conference showdown with Concordia, before squaring off against Central-Iowa in a 6 p.m. nonconference matchup.
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