AT THE APEX — Fairmont middle hitter Nevaeh Rahm (22) swats the volleyball at Blue Earth Area blocker Kylee Eckmann during Big South Conference action Thursday night at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. The Cardinals’ Leslie Zarling (11) and the Bucs’ Kyla Roiger (10) watch the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Two wins in a row during a three-day span.

Fairmont’s balanced performance fended off Blue Earth Area’s mid-match comeback by respective game scores of 25-22, 25-12, 27-29, 17-25, 15-9, during Thursday night’s Big South Conference volleyball action at Cardinal Gym.

“Back-to-back,” Fairmont head coach Liz Lowery said in reference to her lineup’s 3-1 road triumph over the Saints in St. James only two nights earlier. “For the second straight match, we had good all-around contributions in every category.”

Libero Mariah Moeller served three critical points — 22, 23 and 24 — to inch the Cardinals to the victory in the opening game. Leslie Zarling’s timely tip off a direct pass, one of Danika Eisenmenger’s 10 kills off a Zarling set assist and a Nevaeh Rahm tip triggered the pivotal tiebreaking sequence for Fairmont.

Eisenmenger and Miller threw a block party for the Cardinals near the net during Game 2, supplying two of their respective six and five blocks on the match, to stake the home team to an 11-6 lead.

Hailey Becker’s precision back tip for a sideout ace gave the Bucs breathing room as Kylee Eckmann assembled a three-point service run to narrow the gap to 11-10. Autumn Gordon, who topped all hitters with 19 kills, converted two of Becker’s 25 set assists to spur BEA’s comeback bid.

Miller, however, countered by jackhammering one of her team-high 14 kills off one of setter Grace Pendergast’s 22 assists to rotate Pendergast to the service area.

Pendergast restored a five-point margin for Fairmont before netting a serve, but Eisenmenger abruptly regained serve with an echoing block for a sideout. Eisenmenger assembled a perfect nine-point service run to put an exclamation mark on the 13-point Game 2 win.

Miller produced three kills and two rejections to deliver the majority of the frontline damage for the Cardinals.

With Miller and Eisenmenger slugging it out with the Bucs’ Gordon and Eckmann during a back-and-forth Game 3 and the score in Fairmont’s favor at 22-19, Eckmann served three momentum-turning points to produce the first of six ties in the session.

Two errant Cardinal serves proved costly in the post-25 portion of the contest, and Madison Ehrich and the Bucs capitalized. Ehrich served out points 28 and 29 to force a Game 4.

Becker reeled off five unanswered service points to stake BEA to a 6-0 momentum-shifting surge to open Game 4. Gordon unleashed four of her match-best kill total off assists from Becker to pace the Bucs’ eventual win.

Another missed Cardinal serve allowed Ehrich to rotate to the end line and work her service magic again, delivering the final two points in the Bucs’ 25-17 victory. Becker and Eckmann cashed in back-to-back Ehrich set assists to pace the point production.

Once again, Gordon matched frontline firepower with the Cardinals’ Meredith Nemmers in Game 5, but Miller and Pendergast would have the final word.

This time, the Bucs’ missed serves proved costly at 13-8 as Miller followed by utilizing her vertical leap to crank a blistering kill off a Pendergast assist to inch Fairmont within one of a match win at 14-8, but Gordon countered with a sideout tip. Miller and Pendergast worked a give-and-go play to close out the Cardinals’ final point.

Ellie Ortega contributed eight kills and eight set assists for the Cardinals, Nemmers belted seven kills, while Rahm chipped in four kills and four blocks.

Eckmann contributed 11 kills to the Bucs’ cause.

Fairmont (4-15) travels to St. Peter next Thursday night, while Blue Earth Area (5-13) plays host to St. James on Tuesday night.

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Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 3, Martin Luther/GHEC/Truman 0 — The Knights swept their way to a 25-19, 25-15, 25-16 Valley Conference win over the Jaguars on Thursday night in Northrop.

Keira Benck dished out eight set assists and connected on 11 of 11 serves for the Jaguars, while teammate Madisen Lewis smacked four kills and blocked three shots.

Beth Petrowiak and Brianna Petrowiak each delivered three kills for the Jaguars, Londyn Bowers led the defense with eight digs, while Ashley Singleton made seven digs.

The Jaguars play host to Madelia on Tuesday night in Truman.