OMAHA, Neb. – Leading two sets to none and 23-21 in the third set, the College of Saint Mary volleyball team had moved within a couple plays of ending its night early.

But after one brief hiccup, the Flames eventually found themselves going the extra mile to earn this victory.

And CSM was up for the challenge, outlasting Doane University 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 15-12 on Wednesday in an entertaining Great Plains Athletic Conference match at the Lied Fitness Center.

"I told them, 'We put ourself in a position to now have to play a fifth set, so we've got to come out and defend our home court and play tough,' and we did,'' CSM Coach Rick Pruett said. "I'm proud of how they dug. They know how important these wins are. It's never easy in the GPAC. You've got to figure out a way.''

In the fifth set, CSM (9-5, 2-2) figured out how to produce some timely blocks.

After Caylin Barnett's third kill of the set, Mya Weber and Caitlin McCormack combined for a block and a 13-11 Flames lead. Two points later, Weber's second kill of the set gave CSM a 14-12 lead and its first match point.

Azaria Green and Madalyn Welp combined on a block to end the 2-hour, 10-minute marathon, dropping Doane to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in GPAC play. Green and Welp had two block assists apiece in the fifth set, with Green joining Weber with two kills.

"We had some big blocks there in that fifth set that helped us,'' Pruett said.

Barnett shared match-high kill honors with Doane's Brooke Larsen and Natalie Wood with 17 apiece. Barnett had just two errors for a .313 hitting percentage and also shined in the fifth set when forced into back-row duty, something she hadn't been asked to do in several weeks.

A 5-foot-8 junior transfer from McCook (Neb.) Community College, Barnett has experienced the common highs and lows of her first year at the NAIA level.

"Caylin Barnett had her best game as a Flame,'' Pruett said. "That was what I expected that she could do, so I was really proud of how she's really bounced back.''

Green added 12 kills and a .313 hitting percentage to go with a team-high seven block assists. Weber and Welp added nine kills apiece, and McCormack contributed eight kills and 15 digs.

Kaitlyn Busby had 31 assists, while Kennedy Buck added 13 assists and 21 digs, matching Elen Pruett's team-high dig total.

"It was just a great overall team performance,'' Rick Pruett said. "We managed it, and that's what you have to do.''

*CSM also won the JV match, 25-23, 25-20.