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St. Peter outlasts FHS in 5 games

FAIRMONT — The St. Peter Saints volleyball team was down 2-0 after the first two games of the match against the Fairmont Cardinals.

Midway through Game 3, however, the Saints began their rally to win the game, 25-23. With the momentum on their side, the Saints stretched out a 3-2 win over the Cardinals during Big South Conference action on Thursday night in Fairmont.

“They started to rev up and read us a little bit better. We lost the momentum and then we just had a hard time getting it back in the third (game),” Cardinals head coach Haley Loerts said.

The Cardinals manufactured their first lead in Game 1 thanks to a kill and block from senior outside hitter Brenna Cutler, but a Paige Hewitt-Bailey Nesje connection knotted the game at 6.

The Saints later took a 22-19 lead after senior middle hitter Courtney Williams hit the ball out of bounds before the Cardinals recorded five uncontested points.

Williams bounced back with a block and junior outside hitter Jacey Welp sent the ball out to narrow the home team’s deficit, 22-21. The Saints struggled to keep the ball inbounds and the Cardinals took advantage to get game point.

Welp managed to get a tip kill, but junior outside hitter Bailee Swanson’s sideout wrapped up the game, 25-23.

“Bailee’s always a good one to shoot for,” Loerts said. “She did a good job on reading their tips and being able to bounce off the net and come back. She’s always a strong hitter for us, so she’s a good person to rely on in tough situations and against a fast team like St. Peter.”

Swanson kept the Cardinals going in the second game, getting a tip kill and serving up three points for a 5-1 advantage.

Junior middle hitter Claire Nuessmeier, however, prevented a larger lead by spiking a kill off a feed from senior setter Kayla Oeltjenbruns. Each time the Cardinals threatened with a lead, Nuessmeier provided the point to narrow the score.

A Saints misplay, however, proved costly and began the Cardinals’ 6-0 run late in the game.

Sophomore setter Andrea Westcott lobbed up a kill for fellow setter Taylor Crissinger and Swanson got the ace serve for a 21-16 score.

Two more kills from Crissinger and a ball hit out allowed game point, but Swanson’s serve sailed away for a Saints second chance. The Cardinals eventually got the win when Nuessmeier’s block went out.

Despite the Cardinals building a 10-5 lead, the visiting team began to shift the momentum its way and 5-2 for a 23-21 lead. Swanson provided Fairmont with two of her team-best 13 kills, but Nuessmeier put the game away, 25-23.

“We knew she (Nuessmeier) would be their main weapon for the evening, so we knew we had to have our eyes on her. But, they came and … mixed in a few other girls,” Loerts said.

Nuessmeier, senior libero Ellie Johnson and sophomore middle hitter Sarah Conlon combined for five kills as the Saints went up, 8-2, to start Game 4. Conlon also used one of Hewitt’s 12 assists to double up the score, 10-5.

The Saints continued to keep the Cardinals at bay and went on a 7-0 run to make a 24-10 game. Despite a Saints blocking error, Conlon came right back and smacked down a spike to extend the match to Game 5.

“Game 5 is definitely a mental game. It could be anybody’s game and it goes fast,” Loerts said. “You need to start off strong, and they just started off a little bit ahead of us. It’s always hard to take yourself out of that hole and we were just too late.”

Defense specialist Zoe Haugen served the visitors to three points before an error sent Westcott to the service line.

Conlon, who finished used six kills, used a Hewitt assist to get the ball back.

Williams managed one more kill before the Saints pocketed the 15-10 game win to successfully complete the comeback.

Fairmont (6-5) plays at New Ulm on Tuesday.

Fairmont’s B-squad beat St. Peter, 25-22, 24-26, 15-8, on Thursday. Abby Tonder notched six kills with two solo blocks, while Cambrie Anderson had six kills and two solo blocks.

Kylee Harder finished with 11 assists and five kills while going 3-for-3 serving.

Fairmont took a 21-25, 25-21, 15-8 win over St. Peter during C-squad action on Thursday. Madysen Allen went 15-for-15 serving with four aces and Natalie Tonne had two aces on 4-for-7 serving to complement seven kills. Sabrina Segar added 10 set assists and completed 11 of 11 serves.

Blue Earth Area 3, Waseca 2 — The Bucs won the final two games to win the five-game match, 25-13, 18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 16-14, during Big South Conference play on Thursday in Blue Earth.

Alissa Norman distributed 42 set assists along with two ace blocks and Lindsey Norman recorded a team-high 15 kills to complement 15 digs for the Bucs. Samantha Naumann led the defense with 16 digs while going 21-for-21 serving to produce four aces and 15 points.

Sofie Blair added 15 digs, while Hannah Johnson and Maddi Oelke had 11 and 8 kills, respectively, for BEA. Oelke also had four ace blocks, and Alyssa Ripley made 16 of 17 serves with an ace for 12 points.

Blue Earth Area (4-5, 2-1 BSC) plays host to St. James at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Martin County West 3, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 2 — The Mavericks posted game scores of 23-25, 25-11, 15-25, 25-15, 15-8 to edge the Bulldogs in Valley Conference play on Thursday in Trimont.

Emma Behrends poured in 16 kills for the Mavericks. Renae Eckmann posted 12 kills with three blocks and went 23-for-24 serving with an ace. Madison Klima went 13-for-16 serving with three aces and had a team-leading 36 digs.

Maia Taylor contributed 25 set assists and Mercedes Moeller had 15 in the winning effort.

Martin County West (4-3) plays Worthington and Red Rock Central during the Jackson County Central Tournament, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday in Jackson.

Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 3, Martin Luther/GHEC/Truman 1 — The Jaguars won the first game, 25-20, but fell in the next three, 27-25, 25-15, 25-12, to the Knights during a Valley Conference match on Thursday in Lake Crystal.

Jaguars Marissa Steinhaus and Lydia Studer both had seven kills, with Marissa Steinhaus adding 15 digs and four ace serves. Lydia Steinhaus dished 22 set assists.

Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman (1-8, 0-2 Valley) competes in the Maple River Invitational on Saturday.

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