NEW ULM, Minn. — The Saint Mary's volleyball team (7-8) hit the road for their final triangular of the season, taking on two opponents Saturday afternoon at Martin Luther. The Cardinals opened the day with a big 3-0 sweep over the host Vikings (1-10) and then fell to Bethany Lutheran (8-5) 3-0.
SMU 3, MLC 0
Brenna Bruchert led the team with 16 points, recording 13 kills on 33 attempts and adding two service aces. Kali Olson was efficient, finishing with 12 kills on 23 swings for an impressive .522 hitting percentage and contributing three total blocks.
Claire Rahman anchored the defense with 15 digs, while Kinlee Grattan facilitated the offense, distributing 13 assists over three games.
Saint Mary's opened the first set with a strong performance, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to tie the score at 4-4, with Bruchert contributing a key service ace at 3-4. The Cardinals then embarked on a 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from Olson and Bruchert, extending their lead to 6-4. The Knights managed to level the score at 11-11 but Saint Mary's quickly regained control with consecutive points, ending the set with a decisive 25-21 victory. Throughout the set, Devann Clemens was instrumental, facilitating multiple kills, including another notable one by Bruchert to secure the final point.
The Cardinals opened the second set with a strong 5-1 run, highlighted by two service aces from Rahman and a kill from Ayla Olson. The Knights briefly narrowed the gap to 5-4 but the Cardinals regained control, stretching their lead to 9-6 after a kill by Bruchert. Later in the set, a sequence of errors by Martin Luther allowed Saint Mary's to extend their advantage to 17-10. It was a dominating set for the Cardinals as they secured the 25-16 victory.
Saint Mary's opened the third set with another dominant 5-0 run, capitalizing on attack errors from the Knights and a kill by A. Olson. The Cardinals extended their lead with her impressive service performance, including two aces and three kills, pushing the score to 16-3. Martin Luther struggled to counter, gaining only sporadic points. The Cardinals maintained their momentum with Grattan contributing significantly to a five-point run, concluding with a service ace. Despite a brief push from the Knights closing the gap to 24-8, Bruchert's kill sealed the decisive set for Saint Mary's at 25-8.
SMU 0, BLC 3
Bruchert led the offensive charge again for the Cardinals with 13 kills, contributing significantly to her 14 total points. Clemens facilitated the attack by recording 11 assists and adding one block assist.
Maddie Baker, K. Olson, and Grace King formed a strong defensive front at the net, each recording three blocks in the loss.
Bethany Lutheran College opened the first set with a commanding 7-0 run. The Cardinals managed to break the streak with a kill by A. Olson, but the Vikings quickly regained momentum, extending their lead to 11-1 following several attack errors by Saint Mary's. Emma Rommes came into the game for the Cardinals, leading a brief rally that included a service ace and a block by the Olson sisters, narrowing the score to 11-4. Despite this effort, Bethany Lutheran capitalized on the Cardinals errors and strong serving to close out the set 25-13.
In the second set, the Vikings surged to an early 4-0 lead. The Cardinals fought back, narrowing the gap to 6-4, highlighted by Bruchert's kill. However, the Vikings maintained their momentum, extending their lead to 13-7. The Cardinals made a late push, coming within one point at 21-20, aided by A. Olson's effective blocking. The Cardinals rally came up short as the Vikings closed the set with a 25-21 victory.
In a closely contested third set, the Vikings edged out the Cardinals with a 25-23 victory. The set saw both teams exchanging points early on, with Baker and Bruchert contributing several key kills for the Cardinals. However, Bethany Lutheran capitalized on a few service errors and attack errors from the Cardinals to pull ahead. Saint Mary's was able to close the gap to 24-23, but a final error pushed the Vikings to the victory.
The Cardinals are eager to kick off conference play next week, beginning with a matchup at Carleton College on Friday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m.
