By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — There was plenty on the line when the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and St. Olaf volleyball teams squared off Wednesday evening at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The Cardinals needed a win over the Oles — and another victory on Friday against Gustavus — to secure one of the six Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season berths.
 
The Oles, meanwhile, could lock up a spot in the MIAC Playoffs with a win over Saint Mary's.
 
And with so much at stake, it would take a grueling five sets to determine a winner.
 
Unfortunately, St. Olaf scored six of the final seven points in the fifth and decisive set, rallying from a 12-9 deficit to beat Saint Mary's 15-13 and hand the Cardinals a 3-2 setback.
 
The Cardinals made it look easy in the first set, recording the first six points in cruising to a 25-14 victory. St. Olaf turned the tables in Set 2, rattling off 13 unanswered points to transform an 11-10 deficit into a 25-15 victory.
 
From there, however, nothing came easy — for either team.
 
Saint Mary's rallied from a 24-22 deficit to beat the Oles 28-26 in the third set, but the Oles were not about to throw in the towel, posting back-to-back points to break a 24-24 tie and send St. Olaf to a 26-24 win — and send the match to the fifth set.
 
The Cardinals appeared to have things in control, jumping out to a 12-9 lead, but St. Olaf would come on strong with their set-ending 6-1 run en route to the 15-13 playoff-clinching win.
 
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the way for the Cardinals, putting together 20 kills and 14 digs, while Rachel Kedl (Lamberton, Minn.) chipped in 14 kills and Linnaea Wallis (Dresser, Wis.) added 10. Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) dished out 54 assists and DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) finished with a team-best 17 digs.
 
Summer Reid and Lauren Rewers delivered 21 and 20 kills, respectively, to lead the way for St. Olaf (6-4 MIAC, 22-6 overall), while Lexi Wall posted 58 assists, and Emily Jamigan and Haley Langseslag added 15 digs.
 
The Cardinals (4-6 MIAC, 13-13 overall) close out their 2018 schedule on Friday, hosting league-leading and nationally ranked Gustavus in a 7 p.m. conference matchup at the Saint Mary's Gym.