NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to Carleton for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Knights.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2 MIAC | 12-6 Overall) at Carleton Knights (1-4 MIAC | 11-6 Overall)
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: Saint Mary's boasted three players with 10 or more kills, and Lex Krogstad delivered 21 digs, as the Cardinals put together a dominating 15-5 Set 5 win to drop the host Cobbers 3-2 (13-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 15-5) Saturday in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
• Carleton: After having to wait almost three weeks since their last victory, the Knights earned their first MIAC win in dramatic fashion Saturday, as Carleton defeated No. 17 Saint Benedict in four sets (25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 27-25), in St. Joseph, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton — A Year Ago:
• October 2, 2013: Saint Mary's coach Mike Lester decided to shake up his line-up a bit when his Cardinals took the court against Carleton. One of the changes was inserting Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) into the starting rotation. And what a debut it was for the Cardinal sophomore. MacVey sparked a 14-0, Set 2 run by serving up 13 straight points, then was at it again in the third set, serving six consecutive points to spark a late rally and lift the Cardinals to a 3-0 conference win over the Knights at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play this weekend, traveling to Naperville, Ill., to take part in the North Central (Ill.) Invitational. Saint Mary's will face the University of Chicago and host North Central on Friday, before squaring off against North Park and Wartburg on Saturday.
• Carleton: The Knights are off until next Wednesday, when they travel to St. Catherine's Butler Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 7 p.m. conference match against the Wildcats.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
The Cardinals enter Wednesday's match at Carleton in the midst of an 11-match road swing. Saint Mary's does not return home again until Oct. 22, when they host St. Catherine in the first of four consecutive home matches to close out the regular season. … The Cardinals head to Carleton having won seven of their last eight. … Saint Mary's 3-0 loss to No. 17 Saint Benedict snapped its season-high six-match winning streak. … Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis.) finished with a team-high 21 kills in the Cardinals' two matches last weekend. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) recorded 33 digs against Saint Benedict and Concordia last weekend, including 21 against the Cobbers on Saturday. … Krogstad's 21-dig showing vs. Concordia marked the fifth time this season the junior has notched 20 or more kills. … Krogstad now leads the team with 276 digs and is one of five Cardinals with 100 or more digs. … Fadness heads into Wednesday's match as the team leader with 143 kills, one more than Alex Peterson (Harmony,  Minn.). … Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn. / 136), Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn. / 112), and Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn. / 108) have also eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. … Peterson tallied a season- and career-high 23 kills against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) has accumulated a team-leading and career-high 350 assists through 18 matches, while Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) is close behind with 314. … Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) recorded a career-high 20 digs against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … Eight of Saint Mary's 12 wins this season have been 3-0 sweeps. … The Cardinals picked up their second 3-2 win of the season with last Saturday's five-set win over Concordia. … The Cardinals' schedule includes matches against six teams that have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25—St. Thomas, Colorado College, Clarkson, Saint Benedict and Augsburg. … Krogstad has earned all-tournament honors in all three of the Cardinals' regular-season tournaments this season. … With their 4-0 showing at the Ripon Red Hawk Invitational on Sept. 19-20, the Cardinals improved to 25-6 in regular-season tournaments over the past two seasons. … Saint Mary's is  5-1 on their home court—the lone loss a 3-0 setback vs. Wartburg at the season-opening Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic.
 
Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
Saturday's win over Saint Benedict snapped the Knights' four-match losing streak. … The win over No. 17 CSB marks the Knights' first victory over a ranked opponent since Carleton topped No. 31 Luverne during the 2010 season. The victory also marked Carleton's first win over a ranked conference team since the Knights defeated No. 17 Concordia during the 2007 season. The Knights' 3-1 win over St. Benedict is also their first victory over the Blazers since 2006. … Carlton enters Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's with four players boasting 100 or more kills, lead by Karen Halls with 212. Lucy Stevens (119), Claire Willeck (118), and Caroline Duke (110) are the other three. … Alicia Flatt is the team's assist leader with 473, while Camille Benson owns a team-leading 40 service aces. … Benson also is the team-leader in digs with 385. … Eight of Carlton's eleven wins have come on the road. The Knights are 3-2 on their home court. … Carlton is 7-1 in three-set matches, while going 3-3 in four-set matches and 1-2 in five-setters.