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Wednesday, September 10, 2003 |
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(Through Tuesday, September 9) |
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The Cardinals posted a perfect 4-0 record en route to winning their own SMU Sugar Loaf Classic title last weekend. … UW-La Crosse, meanwhile, dropped just one game in sweeping to a 4-0 mark and the UW-Platteville Tournament tite last weekend. |
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Ashley Dingels collected a match-high 19 kills and Kirstan Rouzer tallied 13 kills and 21 digs, but it was not enough as SMU dropped a 3-1 decision to the Eagles on Sept. 4, 2002. |
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SMU's Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) and Tessa Stranik (Eatonville, Wash.) were named to the Sugar Loaf Classic All-Tournament team, with Dingels claiming tournament MVP honors after compiling 61 kills, a .422 attack %, 10 aces and 15 blocks. … Dingels' all-tournament selection was her second in as many weeks (she was also named to the Pikes Peak Challenge all-tourney team). … The Cardinals have now won six straight after opening the season with back-to-back losses to nationally ranked teams. … SMU's Sugar Loaf Classic title was its first since winning the 1999 title with a 3-0 win over Valley City State. … UW-L enters today's match ranked No. 20 in the latest AVCA Poll. |
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Year Hometown |
WINONA, Minn. — For the Saint Mary's University volleyball team, winning their home tournament was nice, but beating Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Hamline in the process made it twice as nice.
The Cardinals completed a perfect run through the two-day Sugar Loaf Classic last Saturday, knocking off the Pipers in convincing fashion, 30-20, 25-30, 30-22, 30-17, to claim their first tournament title since 1999.
“Anytime you get a chance to knock off another conference team, it's nice,” said SMU coach Mike Lester. “But more than anything, just the fact that two MIAC schools were in the finals says a lot about how tough the MIAC is this season. Hamline was picked (by the conference coaches) to finish 11th out of 12 teams this year, and yet, here they are in the finals. Just having them make the finals is not only a testament to how well they played this weekend, but also to just how strong our conference is.”
And while the MIAC may be tougher top-to-bottom than it ever has been, the neighboring Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — which houses tonight’s opponent, UW-La Crosse — is just as tough.
In fact, the WIAC boasts five teams which are ranked among the AVCA’s Top 25 — including the Eagles, who come into tonight’s match at No. 20.
“This should be a really, really exciting match,” said Lester, whose team brings a six-game winning streak into tonight, while the Eagles have won six of their first seven — with their lone loss coming the MIAC’s St. Thomas. “I think both teams are better than they were a year ago (when UW-L beat SMU 3-1), and both are playing very well right now.”