NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University volleyball team struggled to get out of the starting blocks in Friday's 3-0 loss to Saint Benedict.
 
And, unfortunately for SMU, it was more of the same for the Cardinals in Saturday's nonconference match against Nebraska Wesleyan.
 
The Prairie Wolves scored 18 of the first 24 points in the opening set of their neutral-site match at St. Olaf — and NWU never took its foot off the accelerator, cruising to a 3-0 victory.
 
Saint Mary's got off to another slow start in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against St. Olaf later in the evening, but this time around, the Cardinals righted the ship, rattling off three straight set wins en route to a 3-1 victory over the Oles.
 
MATCH 1: NEBRASKA WESLEYAN 3, SAINT MARY'S 0
Getting out of the starting blocks hampered the Cardinals for a second straight match when they took the court against the Prairie Wolves, as NWU erupted out of the games and cruised to a 25-15 win in the opening set.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan's sizzling start fizzled a bit in the second set, as the Cardinals stayed within striking distance — and trailed by just four, 20-16, later. The Prairie Wolves, however, proved to have a finishing kick as devastating as its quick start, closing the set on a 5-1 run for a 25-17 victory and 2-0 lead.
 
Saint Mary's came out firing on all cylinders to open the third set, grabbing a 6-3 lead, only to have NWU throw a monkey wrench in the Cardinals comeback hopes, knotting the match at 9-9 and scoring seven of the set's final eight points to seal the sweep with a 25-15 win.
 
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals with 12 kills, while Kali Olson (New York Mills, Minn.) chipped in nine. Faith VanErp (Sartell, Minn.) dished out 27 of the team's 28 assists, and VanErp and Lindsey Rossow (Rochester, Minn.) posted a team-best nine digs.
 
MATCH 2: SAINT MARY'S 3, ST. OLAF 1
The Cardinals got off to a quick start against the Oles in the opening set of their conference match, holding early leads of 4-1 and 6-2. The Oles, however, clawed their way back, and, after Saint Mary's held off a pair of set points at 24-18, sealed the opening set win, 25-20.
 
Saint Mary's finally broke through in the second set, taking an early lead and never relinquishing it — giving the Oles a taste of their own medicine with a 25-20 win of their own to knot the match at 1-1.
 
And after that slow start in the opening set, the Cardinals appeared to have found their rhythm, following up that 25-20 win with an even more impressive performance in the third set, rolling past the Oles 25-18.
 
Saint Mary's completed the come-from-behind victory in impressive fashion, knocking off the Oles 25-20 in the fourth set in securing its first conference win of the season.
 
McNally and VanErp each had double-doubles to pace the Cardinals, with McNally recording 16 kills and 12 digs, while VanErp delivered 38 assists and 10 digs. Olson chipped in 10 kills and Rossow tallied a team-high 20 digs for SMU.
 
The Cardinals (1-3 MIAC, 8-12 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they return home to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown against Carleton. Two days later, Saint Mary's will again be on their home floor, squaring off against Augsburg in another 7 p.m. conference matchup.  
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