WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University and Macalester volleyball teams entered Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match as mirror images of each other — both boasting identical 3-4 conference records and sitting deadlocked for the sixth and final MIAC Tournament spot with four matches to play.
 
So, it was only fitting that the match would come down to a race to 15 in the fifth and final set.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was the Scots who had the better finishing kick, as Macalester  posted a 15-12 victory in the fifth and decisive set to deal SMU a 3-2 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Trailing 23-20 in the opening set, Saint Mary's rattled off four unanswered points for a 24-23 lead. The Scots, however, held off one set point and, after the Cardinals survived two Macalester set points, scored back-to-back points for a 29-27 victory
 
The Cardinals regrouped in the second set — in a big way. Led by the play of Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.), who recorded seven second-set kills, the Cardinals dominated from start-to-finish en route to a convincing 25-10 victory.
 
The third set was a carbon copy of the first, with four lead changes and eight ties, and Macalester once again came away with the marathon set win, taking a 2-1 lead with a 28-26 victory.
 
The Cardinals evened the match at 2-2 in the fourth set, but it was far from easy, as neither team could take command of the set, before Saint Mary's used a late push to seal a 25-22 victory — and force the decisive fifth set.
 
Macalester scored the first three points, and, despite a late Cardinal rally, held on for a 15-12 victory, evening their conference record at 4-4.
 
McNally finished the match with a double-double, including 22 kills and 14 digs, while Faith Van Erp (Sartell, Minn.) chipped in 10 kills. Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) followed McNally's lead with a double-double of her own, recording 34 assists and delivering 12 digs, and DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) contributed 22 digs for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals (3-5 MIAC, 7-17 overall) are right back in action Saturday, as they welcome No. 23 Bethel to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. conference matchup.