Junior setter Paige Ackerman (left) and senior setter Paige Rosencrans (right) celebrate after a Minot point in the second set of Thursday's volleyball match against Bismarck St. Mary's. St. Mary's earned a four-set victory.

Sherry Carlson wanted the Minot High School volleyball team to fight hard on the court.

Although the Majettes fell short by set scores of 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23 in a Class A West Region matchup against Bismarck St. Mary’s, Minot’s head coach got her wish.

“The minute we start catching up, we start making small mistakes,” Carlson said. “It’s just learning to stay tough and hang on to a lead. So, a lot to learn tonight. We’re very happy.”

In a serpentine affair at Minot High, the Majettes kept slithering back. However, the Saints’s persistence ended up being the deciding factor.

Each set provided close, up-tempo action. St. Mary’s earned a 25-21 win in the first set.

Minot bounced back for a 25-19 win in the second set and kept the pressure on the Saints.

“We can fight through the points and get back up,” senior outside hitter Alyson Lucy said. “We’ve just got to get out of our heads.”

Although the Majettes wouldn’t go away, the Saints’ ability to keep rallies in the air helped them clinch the final two sets. St. Mary’s senior libero Abbi Kopp recorded a match-high 22 digs.

“They like to catch us off guard,” senior libero Tia Haskins said. “Being ready was just a big factor.”

Five Majettes posted double-digit dig totals to go toward the team’s total of 80. Haskins led the team with 17 and senior outside hitters Allie Nelson and Jayda Bennett added 13. Junior setter Paige Ackerman contributed 11, while senior setter Paige Rosencrans tallied 10.

Nelson posted a team-high 10 kills, while junior middle blocker Morgan Wheeler added nine. Lucy recorded eight.

Two Majettes reached double digits in the assist column. Rosencrans dished out 17 assists, while Ackerman added 10.

Minot served seven aces, while St. Mary’s served eight. Junior setter Avery Wanner posted a match-high 36 assists for the Saints.

“When you work so hard and the volleys go for so long, you have to keep your head,” Carlson said. “You can’t get anxious. You can’t panic, you have to stay calm and you have to stay poised. We have to work on that a little bit. We did come out on the good end of a lot of those long rallies.”

The Majettes dropped to 4-7 (1-3 WDA), while the Saints improved to 7-3 (2-1 WDA). Minot will host Turtle Mountain Community High School for a 7 p.m. match on Sept. 16, while St. Mary’s will travel to Legacy for a 7 p.m. tilt on Sept. 17.

“It’s going to be a fun season,” Haskins said. “We will hopefully get them next time. That was a close match.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.