MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team, coming off a 3-1 win over Bethel in Tuesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff opener on Tuesday, squares off against top-seeded Augsburg in a 7 p.m. tournament semifinal Thursday at Si Melby Hall.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (20-12 Overall) at #19 Augsburg Auggies (22-4 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: After eight straight 3-0 wins at home, Saint Mary's decided to switch things up a bit in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff match against Bethel Tuesday. Rather than a quick, 3-0 sweep, the Cardinals spotted the visiting Royals a 1-0 lead. And then promptly disposed of the Royals in three straight. After dropping that first set 25-22, the Cardinals ripped off three straight wins—25-17, 25-21, 26-24—to post the 3-1 win at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
• Augsburg: The Auggies locked up a share of the MIAC regular-season title for the second year in a row last Saturday, dropping Macalester 3-1 in Minneapolis, Minn. The win also gave Augsburg a first-round bye in the conference playoffs | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—Earlier This Year:
• October 25, 2014: The Cardinals gave the 25th-ranked Auggies all they could handle, but every time they seemed to gather a little momentum, Augsburg would steal it right back in handing Saint Mary's a 3-1 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg—A Year Ago:
• October 19, 2013: Saint Mary's hit 15th-ranked Augsburg with a lethal Alex Peterson (Harmony, Minn.)-Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn.) 1-2 punch, as the Cardinal duo banged out a combined 30 kills in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match. Unfortunately, the Auggies not only took all the Cardinals had to offer, they countered with a knockout combination of Colleen Ourada and Ashley Peper. Ourada wore the Cardinals down with her 16 kills and Peper delivered the knockout blow with 19 kills and a .311 attack percentage, as the Auggies handed SMU a 3-1 conference setback at Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. | Recap
 
Up Next:
• The winner of Thursday's Saint Mary's-Augsburg match advances to the MIAC Playoff championship match, which will be held on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
The Cardinals are making their second straight appearance in the MIAC volleyball playoff semifinals. Saint Mary's beat Concordia 3-0 in the opening round a year ago, before falling to St. Thomas 3-1 in the semis. … Saint Mary's has now made 10 post-season appearance in coach Mike Lester's 17-year tenure. … Tuesday's tournament-opening win over Bethel was the Cardinals' 20th win of the season, marking the second straight year—and eighth time under coach Lester—that Saint Mary's has eclipsed the 20-win barrier. … With their seventh win of the season—a 3-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 19—Lester earned his 300th collegiate coaching win. The Cardinal head coach heads into Thursday's  MIAC Playoff semifinal vs. Augsburg with 313 coaching wins in 17 seasons. … Tuesday's 3-1 playoff win over Bethel was the Cardinals' ninth home win in 11 contests at the Saint Mary's Gym. … Thirteen of Saint Mary's 20 wins this season—including eight of the Cardinals' nine home wins—have been 3-0 sweeps. … Jenna Sullivan (Woodbury, Minn.) recorded a career-high 19 kills in the Cardinals' 3-1 playoff win over Bethel Tuesday. It was the second time this season the junior outside hitter has recorded a single-match career-high in kills. Sullivan posted a then-career-best 18-kill effort against Northwestern (Minn.) on Oct. 17. …  Sullivan also notched a career-high 23 digs against the University of Chicago on Oct. 10. … Sullivan was one of three Cardinals with 10 or more kills vs. the Royals—Macki Fadness (Eau Claire, Wis. / 13) and Kenzie Lind (Rushford, Minn. / 12) were the other two. … Fadness enters Thursday's showdown with Augsburg boasting a team-leading 254 kills. Mary Nordick (Plymouth, Minn. / 231), Molly Grover (Zumbrota, Minn. / 214), Lind (201), Alex Peterson (Harmony,  Minn. / 187), Molly Urban (Roseville, Minn. / 194) and Jenna Sullivan (Woodbury, Minn. / 166) have also eclipsed the 100-kill plateau. … Peterson tallied a season- and career-high 23 kills against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … Nordick, who recorded a season-high 15 kills against Augsburg in the team's first meeting on Oct. 25, heads into Thursday's match needing just five kills to eclipse the 1,000 career-kill mark. … Nordick also ranks No. 2 all-time in total blocks with 417 (11 shy of record-holder Vicki Wilson) and block assists with 318 (13 back of Wilson). … Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa), who posted her top two collegiate assist performances at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational on Oct. 17-18—notching a career-best 42 assists against host UW-Eau Claire, then adding a 36-assist showing against St. Scholastica—leads the team with 634 assists, while Tayler MacVey (Dodge Center, Minn.) has chipped in 604 helpers. … MacVey finished with 31 assists vs. the Royals Tuesday, just four assists shy of her career-best 35-assist performance against North Park on Oct. 11. … Lex Krogstad (Chicago, Ill.) pushed her team-leading dig total to 524 Tuesday, equaling her season-high with 28 digs vs. the Royals. … Krogstad, who has now tallied a season-high 28 digs three times this season, has posted 20 or more digs in a match 12 times this season. … Krogstad currently sits second all-time in digs behind Theresa Perrini (2,192), compiling 1,585 in her three years as a Cardinal. … Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) recorded a career-high 20 digs against UW-La Crosse on Sept. 10. … The Cardinals' match against Augsburg—ranked No. 25 the first time the two teams met two weeks ago and currently sitting at No. 19—will mark the eighth time this season Saint Mary's has squared off against a team that has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25. Saint Mary's has also faced nationally ranked foes St. Thomas, Colorado College, Clarkson, Saint Benedict, and the University of Chicago. … The Cardinals finished 12-7 in tournament play this season and are now 28-10 mark in regular-season tournaments over the past two seasons.
 
Scouting The Augsburg Auggies:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
For the second year in a row, Augsburg finished tied for first place in the MIAC standings with St. Thomas. Last year, Augsburg and St. Thomas tied for the MIAC's regular season title, but the Tommies held the tiebreaker and received the top seed in the conference playoffs. This year, the Auggies have the tiebreaker over the Tommies—and home court throughout the players—thanks to a five-set Auggie victory over the Tommies on Oct. 22. … The Auggies enter Thursday's playoff semifinal ranked No. 19 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll. … Augsburg has won 11 straight, dating back to a 3-0 loss to nationally ranked Saint Benedict on Sept. 24. The Auggies are also 15-1 in their last 16 matches. … During their 11-match run, the Auggies have posted three 3-0 victories, four four-set wins and four victories that went the maximum five sets. … Colleen Ourada finished the regular season with 19 kill-dig double-doubles, pushing her career total to 47. … Ourada has recorded 10 or more kills in 20 of Augsburg's 26 matches this season and is second on the team with 325 kills. … Ashley Peper boasts a team-leading 392 kills, and she and Ourada are two of four Auggies with 100 or more kills through 26 matches. Jessica Liliquist (192) and Ellen Sachs (146) are the other two. … Courtney Lemke claimed her 12th assist-dig double-double of the season, with 43 assists and 12 digs in the Auggies' 3-1 win over Macalester in their regular-season finale on Nov. 1. … Lemke's 43 assists vs. Macalester was  the 13th time this season she has recorded 40-plus assists. It's also the fifth time in the last six matches Lemke has recorded 40 or more assists. … Lemke has amassed 962 assists for the Cardinals this season. … Augsburg has served up 138 aces this season, led by Mackensie Menke with 27 and Peper with 20. … Menke also leads the team with 489 digs, while Ourada is second with 369. … The Auggies head into Thursday's match against Saint Mary's a perfect 11-0 on their home court. … Three of Augsburg's four losses this season have been by a 3-0 score. The Auggies are 14-1 in matches that are not decided in three sets—including a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches.