ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Saint Benedict scored five of the first six points in the opening set, and the Saint Mary's University volleyball team never covered, as the Bennies dealt the Cardinals a 3-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback Friday evening at Claire Lynch Hall.
 
Staring at an early 5-1 deficit in the first set, the Cardinals never got on track, as CSB pushed its lead to seven, 11-4, and nine, 17-8, before closing out the opening set on an 8-1 run en route to a 25-9 victory.
 
The Cardinals came out swinging in the second set, racing out to a 7-4 advantage, only to have the Bennies record seven of the next 10 points to regain the lead, 11-10. And from there, CSB took control, ending the set with a 14-5 burst to seal a 25-15 win — and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five conference match.
 
And the third set followed much the same script, as the Bennies took control midway through the set and never look back en route to its second straight 25-15 victory to seal the 3-0 sweep.
 
Brenna Bruchert (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) each recorded four kills, while Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) delivered 11 assists and four digs, and Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) chipped in four digs for Saint Mary's.
 
The Cardinals (0-3 MIAC, 7-11 overall) are right back on the road on Saturday, squaring off against Nebraska Wesleyan (4 p.m.) and St. Olaf (6 p.m.) in a pair of matches host by St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn.
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