WINONA, Minn. — For the second time in as many Saturdays, the Saint Mary's University volleyball team squared off against a nationally ranked conference opponent.
 
Just a week after dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 23 Bethel, the Cardinals once against stared across the net at a member of the AVCA Top 25 — 25th-ranked Gustavus.
 
Unfortunately for Saint Mary's, Saturday's match was eerily similar to last Saturday's, as the Gusties — needing a win to earn a share of the MIAC regular-season title — dealt the Cardinals a 3-0 setback at the Saint Mary's Gym.
 
Gustavus grabbed the momentum from the opening serve in the first set, scoring five of the first six points and never relinquished the lead. Saint Mary's failed to string more than two consecutive points together, as the Gusties slowly built their lead to as many 10, including the final, 25-15.
 
The Cardinals turned up the heat a bit in the second set — a set that included seven ties and had SMU hold leads of 8-7 and 10-9. Saint Mary's kept pace with the high-powered Gusties, trailing by just three, 19-16, before GAC rattled off six unanswered points to end the set 25-16.
 
Gustavus picked up right where it left off to open the third set, recording 11 of the first 14 points — fueled by a 7-0 run — to grab an 11-3 advantage. Down, but not out, the Cardinals chipped away at the GAC lead, cutting the deficit to one on three separate occasions — 16-15, 17-16, and 21-20 — only to have Gustavus recorded four of the final five points to complete the sweep, 25-21.
 
Ciarra McNally (Lewiston, Minn.) recorded a team-high 12 kills, while Larkin Clem (Elk River, Minn.) dished out 26 assists. DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) — playing in her final match in a Cardinal uniform, led the team with 12 digs.
 
Saint Mary's closes out the season 3-8 in conference play, while ending the year 7-20 overall.