By John RittenhouseThe Luverne volleyball team put together a three-win week that included the Cardinals playing at three different events.The Cards opened Southwest Conference play by sweeping Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Thursday.Luverne opened its home schedule by going 1-3-1 during the Luverne Early Bird Tournament Saturday, and winning a four-game match from Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Monday.The 5-3-1 Cardinals play at the Montevideo Tournament Saturday before entertaining Lincoln HI Tuesday.Luverne 3, SV-RL-B 1The Cardinals were able to win three close games to defeat the visiting Raiders Monday.Extra play was needed to settle Games 1 and 2, which the Cardinals won by 26-24 and 27-25 scores.SV-RL-B battled back to notch a 25-11 win in Game 3, but the Cards settled the issue by securing a 25-22 victory in Game 4.Maggie Kuhlman and Traci Evans charted 13 and eight kills respectively for the winners.Ashley Heitkamp was 20 of 21 serving with 13 points and three aces during the game. She shared the team lead in blocks (two) with Cassie Pap. Brittney Williams, who charted 20 set assists, was 21 of 23 serving with 13 points and three aces. Chelsea Park added 18 set assists to the winning cause.Luverne tourneyThe Cardinals went 1-3-1 and placed sixth during their annual Early Bird Tournament Saturday.The hosts opened the event by beating Edgerton, but losses to Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Jackson County Central and Blue Earth Area and a tie with Springfield followed the win."We had our ups and downs throughout the day," said Cardinal coach Lori Oechsle. "We played well at times, and then we would struggle. We just need to work on our passing and hitting in practice."The Cards got off to a good start by defeating Edgerton 25-15 and 25-11 to start the tournament.R-T-R (25-16, 25-21) and JCC (25-15 and 25-10) topped the Cardinals in the second and third rounds before Luverne completed pool play by splitting games with Springfield.Springfield nipped LHS 25-22 in Game 1, but the Cardinals coasted to a 25-12 win in the finale.Luverne ended up placing third in its five-team pool, earning the right to face BEA in a match for fifth and sixth place. BEA recorded 25-18 and 25-17 wins over the Cardinals in the final match.Kuhlman and Pap led the Cards with 30 and 18 kills during the tournament. Heitkamp recorded six blocks for LHS. Williams charted 34 set assists and served 10 aces during the event, while Park chipped in 10 ace serves and 25 set assists to the cause.Luverne 3, RWV 0The Cardinals opened Southwest Conference play by sweeping a three-game match against Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Thursday.Playing well in all aspects of the game, Luverne posted tight 25-22 and 25-20 wins in Games 1 and 3. The Cards rolled to a 25-12 victory in Game 2."The girls played great," said LHS coach Oechsle. "Not one thing really stands out in my mind, because the girls did everything so well. We were passing, serving and hitting the ball well, and we were getting after every ball on defense."Luverne erased a 4-2 deficit on the way to a three-point win in the opener.Kuhlman, who led the Cards with eight kills and was 18 of 21 serving with 16 points and six aces, served three consecutive aces to ice a 13-point victory in the second game.Evans recorded three of her seven kills and Kuhlman served a four-point run late in Luverne’s five-point win in Game 3.Pap delivered six kills, two blocks and four ace tips, was 14 of 14 serving with eight points and two aces for the winners. Heitkamp had two blocks and was 14 of 14 serving with 10 points and two aces. Williams contributed 21 set assists to the winning cause.