WINONA, Minn. — For the Saint Mary's University volleyball team, the final score of Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against St. Olaf most definitely did not tell the whole story.
 
Two of the three sets against the Oles were extended past the 25-point mark — including a third set that was decided by a 28-26 count.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals were never able to get over the hump down the stretch, falling to the Oles 3-0 at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
The first set proved to be about as tight as tight can be, as neither team was able to record more than three consecutive points the enter set. The Cardinals and Oles traded points left and right in a set that boasted a whopping 12 ties and six lead changes. The Oles would find a way to edge out Saint Mary's, however, as they scored the final two points to claim a 27-25 victory.
           
St. Olaf wasn't about to go through another marathon in the middle set, as the Oles raced out to an 8-1 lead. After Saint Mary's whittled the lead to one, 8-7. That 6-0 run proved to be a wake-up call for the Oles, who turned up the offense heat, scoring 17 of the next 25 points for a commanding 25-15 victory — and a 2-0 lead.

The Cardinals were not about to go down without a fight, and appeared to have the third set well in hand, leading by as many a four points twice, including 18-14. St. Olaf would claw its way back, pulling even twice — 23-23 and 24-24 — before taking its first lead of the set, 25-24. Saint Mary's held off a pair of match points to draw even at 25-25 and 26-26, but back-to-back St. Olaf points iced the 28-26 win, and the 3-0 sweep.
 
Ciara McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) finished the match with 12 kills and eight dig, while Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) and Mandy Schmidt (Mitchell, S.D.) dished out 15 and 13 assists, respectively. DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) contributed a team-best 12 digs, with Hannah Skroch (Savage, Minn.) chipping in nine.
 
The Cardinals (3-7 MIAC, 7-19 Overall) play their last match of the season on Saturday, welcoming nationally ranked Gustavus to the Saint Mary's Gym for a 7 p.m. conference match.