WINONA, Minn. — Rounding out the final day of the Sugar Loaf Classic, the Saint Mary's volleyball team split their day beating Buenva Vista (2-5) in four close sets and then dropping their final game to Coe (5-1) to close out the day.

SMU 3, BVU 1

Saint Mary's edged out Buena Vista in a closely contested first set, with a final score of 25-20. The set saw a tight opening exchange, with the teams tied at 6-6. Buena Vista then took a brief advantage at 9-6, aided by a service ace. The Cardinals responded with a series of kills from Kali Olson, who recorded multiple successful attacks, including a critical kill at 14-14 to level the score. Paige Klug's serving proved pivotal, scoring an ace and helping the Cardinals to a 4-0 run, taking them to an 18-14 lead. The Cardinals secured the set with Ayla Olson's kill and a final attack error by Buena Vista.

In the second set, the Cardinals established an early lead against Buena Vista with Maddie Baker and K. Olson contributing key kills, assisted by Kinlee Grattan. The Cardinals capitalized on the Beaves errors to extend their advantage to 5-1. The Cardinals maintained control with a service ace by K. Olson at 15-8. The Beavers attempted a comeback with a series of points narrowing the gap to 19-15, but the Cardinals responded decisively with a crucial kill from Bruchert and an attack error sealing the set at 25-18.

Buena Vista extended their lead to 9-1 in the third set with a series of attack errors by the Cardinals and service aces. The Cardinals mounted a brief comeback with consecutive points, narrowing the gap to 10-8, but the Beavers regained control, widening their lead to 17-13. The set concluded with Buena Vista solidifying their advantage with a final score of 25-16 to avoid the sweep.

In the fourth set, the Cardinals overcame a strong start by the Beavers, who took an early 6-2 lead. The Cardinals responded with a streak of their own, highlighted by Grattan's service aces, bringing the score to 14-9 in favor of Saint Mary's. Buena Vista closed the gap with a 5-0 run to tie the game at 14-14, capitalizing on errors. The set continued to be tightly contested, with both teams exchanging leads. Ultimately, the Cardinals secured the victory with at 29-27, clinched by consecutive kills from the Olson sisters.

SMU 1, COE 3

Saint Mary's claimed a 25-19 win in Set one against Coe, with notable performances from K. Olson, who registered multiple kills throughout the set, including crucial points at 9-5, 12-9, and 23-18. The Cardinals capitalized on Coe's errors early on, gaining momentum with a series of attack errors leading to a 7-5 advantage. Devann Clemens contributed significantly with assists, setting up key plays for Bruchert and Grattan, who added to the offensive push. Saint Mary's maintained control, closing the set with a decisive kill by Bruchert, assisted by Clemens.

Coe steadily built their lead in the second set reaching a 15-10 advantage. The Kohawks then capitalized on several attack errors by the Cardinals to pull away, finishing the set on a decisive 8-0 run, culminating in a 25-13 victory for the visitors.

In Set three, Coe took control with a series of scoring runs. After a service error from Saint Mary's gave Coe the initial point, the teams exchanged points until Coe seized momentum with a 5-0 run, punctuated by two service aces, pushing their lead to 10-6. Despite A. Olson's multiple kills, the Cardinals struggled to close the gap extending Coe's advantage to 16-8. Coe maintained their lead through strategic plays and capitalized on attack errors by Saint Mary's, closing out the set 25-12 with a decisive kill from Hansel.

In the final set, Coe established an early lead to go up 4-1. The Cardinals responded with a couple of kills by K. Olson to close the gap to 5-5. However, Coe seized control again serving four consecutive points, including a service ace, pushing the score to 10-5. Despite service errors, Coe maintained their advantage culminating in a decisive 25-14 victory in the set.

The Cardinals look to take some time off before hitting the court again in three day's traveling to UW-La Crosse to compete against the Eagles starting at 3:00 p.m.