The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals had their final regular season game in Garretson on Friday, October 30th. The Cardinals fell to the Blue Dragons in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-19, and 27-25.
Garretson built a lead they wouldn’t lose about midway through the first set. After the set was 6-4 in favor of the Blue Dragons, Garretson extended that lead to 12-6. St Mary got within four points at 15-11, but Garretson finished the set on a 10-3 run for the win.
The second set started back-and-forth. Garretson did get out to a three-point lead midway through the set, but St Mary kept it close. The Cardinals were within a point at 17-16, but another late run by the Blue Dragons gave them a 25-19 second set victory.
Garretson raced out to a 6-1 lead in the third set. The Cardinals would not be deterred by the fast start. St Mary battled to tie the set at 13-13, and then took a 14-13 lead moments later. The Cardinals were able to hold a two-point lead at 18-16 and 19-17, but the Blue Dragons went on another 6-1 for a 23-20 lead. St Mary again battled back to tie the set at 23-23. Garretson had match point at 24-23, but the Cardinals scored two in a row for a 25-24 advantage. Garretson, however, scored the final three points to take the set 27-25 and win the match.
Courtney Brown finished with 16 kills and 10 digs. Ella Heinitz had 18 digs, 17 set assists, and six kills. Maya Heinitz finished with 15 digs. Ella Griffin tallied 10 digs, eight set assists, four kills, and two blocks. Macie Brown added five digs defensively.
The Cardinals finish the regular season with a 9-8 record and will be the #5 seed in the Region 4B tournament. St Mary will travel to #4 seed Ethan on Tuesday, November 3rd for their first post-season match.