WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball team put together four impressive performances en route to a perfect 4-0 run at the Ground Round Sugar Loaf Classic last weekend.
 
And the Cardinals picked up right where they left off on Wednesday in their nonconference match against UW-Eau Claire.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals' best performance of the season wasn't quite enough, as the Blugolds handed Saint Mary's a 3-1 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
"If we would have played the way we did tonight last weekend (at the Sugar Loaf Classic), we would have won those four matches easily," said Saint Mary's coach Mike Lester. "I thought we played a very good match tonight, but Eau Claire was just a bit better."
 
The Cardinals outlasted UW-Eau Claire 27-25 in the opening set, but it was the Blugolds who had the upper hand in the second, third, and four sets—breaking away down the stretch to seal the win. UW-EC used a set-ending 15-3 run to take the second set 25-15, before turned an 11-11 deadlock into a 17-11 advantage in winning the third set 25-20. The Blugolds iced the win with a similar showing in the fourth set, winning 10 of the final 13 points in a 25-18 victory.
 
"We played by far our best set of the season in the first set—but we weren't able to maintain that level throughout the match," said Lester. "This was a good, early season learning experience. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and can find a way to play at that high level we showed in the first set."
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinal offense, recording her first double-double of the season with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Sara Lind (Peterson, Minn.) chipped in 10 kills and hit a team-best .333. Brittney Hanson (Janesville, Iowa) dished out 24 assists and 11 digs, while Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) posted 15 assists and Morgan Thomas (Palos Park, Ill.) pitched in 11 digs.
 
Heather Sawchuk led the way for the Blugolds (4-1 overall), hammering out a match-high 27 kills, while Madison Surprise accounted for 40 of the team's 49 assists.
 
The Cardinals (4-1 overall) head to St. Paul, Minn., this weekend, squaring off against Luther, Central-Iowa, Crown, and Nebraska Wesleyan at the St. Catherine Invitational.