ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's volleyball (10-12, 3-4) team battled hard but came up short in a four-set loss to St. Catherine (8-13, 4-3) on Friday at the Butler Center. Senior standout Brenna Bruchert led the Cardinals with 11 kills and 13 digs, earning a double-double performance. 

Kali Olson chipped in 10 kills and two solo blocks, while Devann Clemens guided the offense with 16 assists. Emma Rommes anchored the defense, collecting 15 digs.

Saint Mary's came out sharp, taking the opening set 26-24 after an Ayla Olson ace and block sealed the win. The Cardinals carried that energy into the second set, jumping ahead early, but the Wildcats stormed back to even the match.

In the latter part of the first set, the Cardinals fought back from a deficit, tying the score at 23-23 with a kill from A. Olson. 

Saint Mary's initiated the second set with a strong performance, taking an early lead. A. Olson's kill from Kinlee Grattan set the tone, and subsequent points from K. Olson and Bruchert helped extend the lead to 7-2. Klug contributed with a service ace, showcasing effective serving.

Despite the early momentum, the Wildcats rallied to close the gap to eventually take the lead. The outsides were leading the team to a tight race towards the end. The set concluded with the Wildcats overcoming the Cardinals efforts, winning 25-20.

Saint Mary's attempted to rally in the third set with notable plays from Bruchert and Paige Klug. Bruchert made a decisive kill from Clemens, while Klug also contributed with several key kills to keep the team competitive. The Cardinals faced a challenging stretch as the Wildcats capitalized on several attack errors and concluded the set 25-18.

The Cardinals faced a challenging fourth set against the Wildcats, trailing early. Grace King delivered a kill, assisted by Clemens, to narrow the gap to 4-2. Saint Mary's efforts to rally included kills from Maddie Baker and K. Olson, but they struggled to close the gap as the Wildcats maintained momentum with consistent scoring. 

The Wildcats sealed the game with a final score of 25-14.

The Wildcats move ahead of the Cardinals in the conference standings as the regular season enters its final week. With the loss, Saint Mary's now sits in eighth place but has a chance to climb back with three matches next week. The Cardinals return to action on Wednesday, October 29, hosting Wartburg for a 6:00 p.m. matchup.