WINONA, Minn. — It wasn't that the second day of the IIAC-MIAC Border Battle was any easier for the Saint Mary's University volleyball team — it's just that the Cardinals made it look easier.

After a pair of hard-fought matches during the opening day — in which SMU came up just short against No. 8-ranked Central in falling in five games and then rallied from a first-game loss to beat Wartburg 3-1 — the Cardinals made a clean sweep of Day 2 last Saturday.

Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) collected 14 kills and Megan Roesler (St. Paul, Minn.) added 11 as SMU picked up a 3-0 (30-25, 30-20, 30-21) win over Loras, then earned a bit of revenge against Simpson, beating the Storm 3-0 (30-27, 30-17, 30-25) to close out the tournament with a 3-1 record.

Dingels was also the Cardinals' team-leader against the Storm — who handed SMU its first home loss in 18 straight matches with a 3-1 win during the Cardinals' home Sugar Loaf Classic in early September — collecting 17 kills and adding five blocks. Roesler tallied 12 kills and eight blocks vs. Simpson, while Lisa Engdahl (North Branch, Minn.) finished with nine kills and a pair of blocks.

"it was a good weekend — not only for us, but for the entire MIAC," said SMU coach Mike Lester, noting that the four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams — SMU, St. Thomas, Macalester and Concordia — went 12-4 against their counterparts from the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. "I think (the MIAC's) performance shows just how tough our conference is — especially when you consider that two of our top teams (Carleton and St. Benedict) weren't even here."

Lester knew that in order for his team to compete with the IIAC's best — including eighth-ranked Central — the Cardinals were going to have to be at their best.

And if their performance over the two days wasn't their best, it certainly was close.

"We were solid all the way around — from the first match (against Central), right down the line," said Lester. "We've talked all season about the importance of playing consistently. And to this point, we've played well at times, but we've also struggled at times.

"This weekend, I thought we played consistent volleyball from start to finish."

SMU gave Central everything it could handle, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth and deciding game, only to come up just short in falling 3-2 (30-21, 30-25, 21-30, 23-30, 17-15).

Engdahl led the Cardinals' attack in their tournament-opening loss to Central — a team that has won three national titles, been in the NCAA tournament field eight of the last nine years, and has already beaten defending national champion Washington (Mo.) this season. — with a team-high 19 kills. Dingels chipped in 16 kills, three aces, six digs and six blocks, while Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) finished with 14 kills and 25 digs, and Tessa Stranik (Eatonville, Wash.) collected 50 assists and 20 digs.

Things didn't get any easier for the Cardinals in the second round, as SMU squared off against Wartburg — another national power which has been to the national tournament five of the last eight years — in a rematch of their Sugar Loaf Classic match.

SMU beat the Knights in their first meeting 3-0, and got the best of them again Friday, once again rallying from behind to earn a 3-1 (26-30, 35-33, 30-18, 30-25) victory. Dingels hammered 19 kills and chipped in 17 digs and six blocks, while Rouzer added 15 kills and 22 digs, and Engdahl tallied 13 kills and 30 digs.

"This was a great weekend for us," Lester said. "We had some people step up and play outstanding."