Coming off a 3-0 loss to Hope College, Saint Mary's will return to MIAA play today when the Belles face last-place Olivet in Olivet, Mich.
The Belles are 7-11 overall, and their 4-6 conference mark puts them in fifth place in the MIAA. Given that Saint Mary's is currently 2 1/2 games behind fourth-place Tri-State with only six conference matches remaining in the season, the contest with Olivet is close to a must-win.
"We need more desire to play up to our ability," Saint Mary's coach Julie Schroeder-Biek said. "We need to bring our game. We need to get excited about our successes and build on those rather than let our errors be our focus."
The Belles will be looking to their seniors for some guidance, especially setter Amanda David. David has been an honorable mention for the MIAA conference player of the week every week this season.
The Comets will be far from the toughest team Saint Mary's has played this year. Olivet enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 2-19, and their conference record of 1-11 is the worst in MIAA. Furthermore, the Belles and Comets met earlier this season with Saint Mary's walking away with a comfortable 3-0 victory on Sept. 11. The Belles won the games by scores of 30-17, 30-19 and 30-27.
Samantha Leonard contributed to this report.
