WINONA, Minn. - The Cardinals volleyball opened their first (of three) game of the Sugar Loaf Classic Tournament falling to Milwaukee School of Engineering Friday night in four sets.
 
The Cardinals started trading point with MSOE until they could not connect on a few sets and found themselves trailing 5-11. A few errors led to a quick first set loss, 13-25.
 
Alison Wu, Emma Rommes, and Brenna Bruchert each opened up the second set contributing a kill. The Raiders responded with a five-point rally of kills themselves and the Cardinals could not get within three points almost the rest of the match, going down another set.
 
Down two after two, the Cardinals start the third set on the right track leading 4-2 to start. The tough serves from Rommes, a big block from Kali Olson, and a service ace from Paige Klug had forced the Raiders a timeout. The Cardinals led by five at 14-9.
 
A big ace came from Caitlin Bakken to keep the momentum going, taking the largest lead of the night at 7 going 22-15 in the third and ultimately taking set 3, 25-17.
 
Staying alive, the Cardinals had a few attacking errors to start the four and back-to-back aces for the Raiders killed the momentum. Soon, a four-point rally came for the team as two kills from Klug, a block by Olson, and a tough serve from Rommes kept the game within one at 14-15.
 
Attack errors is what changed the outcome of set four, falling to the Raiders 20-25.
 
The Cardinals are back again in the field house to start day two of the Sugar Loaf Classic playing Buena Vista at 11am.