DUBUQUE, Iowa — Coming off a marathon, 3-2 win over Carleton in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener on Wednesday, the Saint Mary's University volleyball team was looking for a little less time on the court Friday evening.
 
And the Cardinals got their wish.
 
Which proved to be both good news — and bad.
 
Saint Mary's first match of the evening lasted just three sets, but it was the Cardinals who came up empty, falling to host University of Dubuque 3-0. SMU had to play four sets in match No. 2, but the end result was much more favorable, as the Cardinals rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat Westminster (Mo.) 3-1.
 
The Cardinals were never able to find their rhythm in their opener against the University of Dubuque, dropping the opening set 25-20. And things just went from bad to worse, as the Spartans dominated the second and third sets, icing the 3-0 victory with wins of 25-16 and 25-14.
 
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) — coming off a program-record 32-kill performance against Carleton on Wednesday — finished with a team-high eight kills against the University of Dubuque, while Faith Van Erp (Sartell, Minn.) chipped in six kills and Braidyn Ruetten (Holmen, Wis.) chipped in five. Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) accounted for 15 of the 26 assists against the Spartans, and DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) collected a team-best 18 digs.
 
Still feeling the ill effects of that opening-match loss, Saint Mary's dropped the first set against Westminster, 25-18. From there, however, the Cardinals' regrouped, outlasting the Blue Jays 32-30, before dominating the third and fourth sets — 25-14 and 25-14 — to seal the victory.
 
Elise Amerongen (Lake Elmo, Minn.) led the Cardinals' offensive charge against Westminster, recording a career-high 13 kills, while McNally and Van Erp each chipped in 13. Schmidt dished out 35 assists and added 12 digs for her third double-double of the season, while Baab led the team in digs for a second straight match, finishing with 17.
 
The Cardinals (5-6 overall) close out their two-day stay in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, squaring off against Loras in a 10 a.m. nonconference matchup.