TWO-HANDED BLOCK ­— Fairmont middle hitter Brylee Miller (1) uses both hands to reject a tip shot by Waseca’s Ellie Hoehn (17) during Big South Conference volleyball action Monday night at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. Waseca’s Kalea Sartori (14) watches the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — The Waseca Bluejays volleyball team hit on all cylinders in its 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 Big South Conference East Division win over the Fairmont Cardinals on Monday night at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont.

“We’re all about team work and communication,” Waseca head coach Krissy Plonske said. “When we call a timeout, I stress communication. That’s a key thing for us, communication on the floor.”

“We’re tired,” Fairmont head coach Liz Lowry said. “We need to get a practice so we can work on some things. We have another match Tuesday and we will get to practice on Wednesday. The girls are fighting for every point. They don’t quit. They battle and play hard on every point.”

The Bluejays, however, didn’t look ahead to its Big South Conference East Division showdown tonight against the first-place St. Peter Saints.

“I scout every team we face, and we look forward to playing St. Peter,” Plonske said. “It’s a big match for us.”

The Bluejays used a lethal one-two combination of hitter Aliyah Taylor and setter Siri Kuhns to post wins in each of the three games.

Taylor finished with 14 kills, while Kuhns had 28 set assists.

For the Cardinals, Brylee Miller connected for a team-best nine kills and Grace teammate Pendergast finished by dishing out 13 set assists.

The Cardinals trailed 10-8 in Game 1 before the Bluejays ended the game with a 15-8 run to pocket the 25-16 victory.

Game 2 was close as the conference teams were tied at 15-all with Pendergast serving.

The Bluejays were able to get a point off a sideout and Kendall Bowers served the final seven points to lift Waseca to the win. During the seven-point run, Taylor connected for a pair of kills.

Game 3 was tied 9 and 15 before the Bluejays went ahead 21-17.

Waseca’s Taylor was able to record her 14th kill during game point to give the Bluejays the three-game sweep.

For Waseca serving, Takara Slattery was a perfect 11-of-11 with one ace, while Bowers was 15-of-18.

For Fairmont serving, Danika Eisenmenger was 13-of-14 with one ace, and Pendergast was 7-of-8 with one ace.

Defensively, Taylor had three blocks to lead Waseca, while Miller also had three blocks to lead Fairmont.

The Bluejays (4-1) host St. Peter in a battle of the top two teams in the Big South Conference East Division at 7:15 p.m. tonight, while the Cardinals (2-8) host New Ulm tonight at 7:30 p.m.

“Our Big South Conference has some strong competition,” Lowry said. “The strong competition will make us a better team.”