OSHKOSH, Minn. — Coming off a 3-1 nonconference loss to Luther on Wednesday, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team wanted to make a statement early in this weekend's UW-Oshkosh Tournament.
And Washington (Mo.) University certainly got the message—loud and clear.
The Cardinals, squaring off against the eighth-ranked team in the country for just the third time in program history—and the first time since falling to WashU in the semifinals of the NCAA Central Regional in 2009—rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to hand the Bears a 3-2 setback in their first match of the afternoon.
The Cardinals made it a perfect 2-0 later in the day, cruising to a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran.
For the fourth straight match—and the fifth time in six matches this season—the Cardinals dropped the opening set against WashU in their opener, falling 25-20. Saint Mary's regrouped with a 25-21 win in Set 2, but were facing a 2-1 deficit following a 25-16 setback in the third set. The Cardinals pulled even with a marathon, 26-24 win in Set 4, then iced the win with a 15-13 victory in the fifth and final set.
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) and
Sara Lind (Peterson, Minn.) were a potent 1-2 offensive punch for the Cardinals, with Blattner tallying 16 kills, while Lind chipped in 11.
Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out 24 assists, with
Lillian Braun (Kasson, Minn.) adding 20 assists, while Carly Cronen (Kandiyohi, Minn.) notched a then-career-high 17 digs, one more than Braun.
After splitting the first two sets against Wisconsin Lutheran—winning 25-20 and falling 25-21—the Cardinals put the match away, winning Set 3 25-16 and rolling to a match-clinching 25-14 win in the fourth set.
Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) and
Gloria Kitange (Rochester, Minn.) shared the team lead with 10 kills, one more than
Lexi Barth (Byron, Minn.), while Blattner and
Linnaea Wallis chipped in eight kills each. Cronen posted her second straight career-dig match, finishing with a team-best 22, while Braun and Hanson each posted double-doubles in the win—Braun recorded 29 assists and 12 digs, with Hanson adding 16 assists and 13 digs.
The Cardinals close out tournament play on Saturday, squaring off against Benedictine and UW-Oshkosh in the second day of the two-day tournament.
