SALEM — St. Mary’s saw its season come to an end Thursday, November 5th, as Chester earned a 3-1 win over the Cardinals (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-13) in a Region 3B match at McCook Central High School in Salem.
St. Mary’s was within striking distance throughout the opening set, but Chester made the key plays late. The Cardinals trailed for much of the set (11-6, 15-10, 19-15), then made a push to close the gap to 20-19. St. Mary’s later pulled within 24-22, but Chester finished the set 25-22 to take the early lead.
The second set was another tight battle. St. Mary’s led early (9-6), but Chester answered to move in front 11-10 and then built a small cushion (16-13, 18-16). The Cardinals stayed close late, but Chester closed out the second set, 25-20, to go up 2-0.
St. Mary’s responded in set three with its best stretch of the match. The Cardinals jumped out 7-3 and 10-6, then battled through a tie at 12-12. After Chester moved ahead 15-13, St. Mary’s answered with a strong run to take control late at 19-16 and 21-18, closing out the set 25-21 to extend the match.
Chester responded in the fourth. After an early tie at 2-2, the Flyers built separation quickly (7-3, 12-8, 15-9) and continued to pull away down the stretch, finishing the match with a 25-13 win.
The Cardinals finished the 2026 season with a 25-4 overall record, setting a school record for wins in a volleyball season.
