NEW ULM — St. Clair swept Minnesota Valley Lutheran 26-24, 25-16, 25-18 on Thursday in South Central Conference volleyball action.

The Cyclones came into the match with a winning record (5-2), but they were searching for redemption after losing to Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial on Tuesday. However, the Chargers were still searching for their first win of the season.

The entire match could best be described as a competitive battle that could have gone MVL’s way with St. Clair making key plays when it needed to. It also played well as a team and communicated well throughout the entire match.

The first set was close from start to finish. MVL held the lead several times, but St. Clair came back to tie the set and then it retook the lead. Marley Schauer’s kill gave MVL a 23-21 lead late. St. Clair tied it on an MVL unforced error (23-23). St. Clair served the ball out of bounds, which made it 24-23 for MVL. Paige St. Peter got a solid return for St. Clair for it to regain the lead. An MVL player misplayed the ball, which gave St. Clair the set.

MVL kept things close for roughly the first half of the second set. St. Clair’s Brooklyn Meng set up St. Peter who made a soft tip for a 22-12 St. Clair advantage. MVL kept fighting back and never quit just when St. Clair thought it was going to pull away in the set. A St. Clair kill and an unforced error by MVL were the final 2 points of the set.

The Chargers hurt themselves early the third set when they had three consecutive plays where the ball was knocked out of bounds. The third time briefly gave the Cyclones the lead. Schauer and Olivia Hammer got back-to-back kills for the Chargers which tied it at 12-12. Later in the set, St. Peter made a powerful kill, which gave the Cyclones a 5-point lead (20-15). Meng bumped the ball to Payton Blount, who made another kill on the next play. Meng set the ball to St. Peter, who scored on a soft tip. Cheyenne Wallin-Oachs tapped the ball to Meng, who set up St. Peter for the kill, the set point and the match.

Jenna Bates had 11 kills and nine digs to lead MVL, while Schauer added 10 kills and two blocks, Avery Freier had eight digs, three kills, one ace serve and 27 set assists. Hammer chipped in 11 digs, seven kills and one ace serve.

“St. Clair is one of those teams where they really make you work for it,” MVL head coach Johanna Kettner said. “It’s not given to you, you have to work for it. I think that’s why it was so back and forth.”

MVL (0-8-2, 0-5) will participate in the United South Central Tournament on Saturday in Wells.