ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The first time the Saint Mary's University volleyball team faced Bethel, Cardinals coach Mike Lester felt his team let a win slip through their grasp as the nationally ranked Royals won three straight games en route to a 3-2 victory on Aug. 29.

Friday evening, nearly two months after their first confrontation, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals met again — and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, this time the Royals left no doubt, as Bethel cruised to a 30-26, 30-19, 30-26 victory over SMU.

Yet, despite their second conference loss in their last four MIAC matches, the Cardinals still remain very much in the hunt for the regular-season conference crown — thanks to St. Olaf's 3-1 win over league-leading St. Thomas Friday.

SMU, which falls to 6-2 in the MIAC, is now tied with Bethel and Concordia for the second spot in the MIAC standings, one game behind the Tommies. Carleton and St. Benedict are both 5-3 and round out the top six.

Kirstan Rouzer (Comstock, Wis.) collected 12 kills and 14 digs, while Tracy Koertgen (Crystal Lake, Ill.) tallied 11 kills for SMU (17-5 overall). Tessa Stranik (Eatonville, Wash.) dished out 35 assists and Desiree Larson (Blaine, Minn.) chipped in 10 digs for the Cardinals. Angie Frenell recorded a match-high 22 kills for the Royals (12-13 overall).