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Friday, September 26, 2003 |
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(Through Thursay, September 25) |
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SMU won its fourth straight last Wednesday, beating Hamline 3-1. … Concordia stayed unbeaten in the MIAC with a 3-1 win vs. Macalester on Wednesday. |
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Despite a match-high 18 kills and a .412 attack percentage from Ashley Dingels, the Cardinals were no match for the Cobbers, who beat SMU 3-0 on Sept. 28, 2002. |
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The Cardinals have now won 13 of their last 14. … Concordia, which has also won four straight, holds a 21-10 lead in the series dating back to 1981. … Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) tallied a team-high 18 kills and Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) added 12 in SMU's win over Hamline. … Finlandia is the only common opponent SMU and Concordia have faced, with the Cardinals beating the Lions 3-1, while the Cobbers posted a 3-0 win. |
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Year Hometown |
WINONA, Minn. — Six days.
That's how long it had been since the Saint Mary's University volleyball team played its last match — the Cardinals' longest matchless streak to date.
And while the layoff was a good thing for SMU, it was a bad thing for Hamline, which had the unfortunate task of hosting the well-rested Cardinals last Wednesday.
The Cardinals, shaking off a bit of rust in the opening game, got a team-high 18 kills from Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) as they moved to 2-0 in the MIAC — and extended their winning streak to four straight — with a 26-30, 30-26, 30-13, 30-28 win.
“I’ve always said it’s hard to beat good teams more than once, and (Wednesday’s) match proved that,” said SMU coach Mike Lester, whose team had beaten the Pipers earlier this season, in the championship match of the SMU Sugar Loaf Classic. “Hamline’s a very good team, and they made it tough for us — especially in that first game when they played extremely well, and we were a bit hesitant.”
Once the Cardinals got in a groove, however, there was no stopping them.
“We played well,” Lester said. “Was it our best performance? Probably not. But anytime you can go on the road in this conference and pick up a win, it’s big. Whether or not you play your best is secondary to getting that (road) win.”
The Cardinals won’t be on the road this weekend, but they will have to be at their best as they host two key conference matches, beginning tonight against Concordia and concluding Saturday vs. St. Benedict.
“There are going to be eight or nine teams battling for those six conference tournament spots, so every match is important,” said Lester, whose team has now won 13 of its last 14. “Everyone on this team knows what happened a year ago (when SMU lost to both Concordia and St. Benedict on the road). We did not play well, and it cost us. They are going to be fired up to avenge those performances.”