ELKTON — St. Mary’s went on the road Tuesday, October 20th and took care of business in straight sets, sweeping Elkton-Lake Benton 25-18, 25-21, 25-10. The Cardinals were steady early, then turned each set with timely runs — and saved their most dominant stretch for the third.
Set 1 — Cardinals stay in control
The opener was tight early, with St. Mary’s holding a slim edge at 4-3 and 9-7. The Cardinals gradually created separation, pushing the lead to 13-10 and 17-13. From there, St. Mary’s kept the pressure on, moving in front 22-17 and closing out the set 25-18 to take a 1-0 match lead.
Set 2 — St. Mary’s builds a cushion, holds off late push
St. Mary’s came out sharp in the second, jumping ahead 5-2 and 8-4 before putting together a big mid-set run to stretch it to 13-5. The Cardinals continued to build on it, leading 18-8 and 21-11, then 23-15. Elkton-Lake Benton made a late charge — cutting it to 24-20 and forcing the set to tighten — but St. Mary’s stayed composed and finished it off 25-21 to go up 2-0.
Set 3 — Cardinals close the door
The third set started even at 2-2, but St. Mary’s quickly took control at 6-3 and 11-6. Once the Cardinals reached 15-8, they hit another gear. St. Mary’s surged to 18-8 and 21-8, then sprinted to the finish line at 25-10 to complete the sweep.
