FREMONT, Neb. – Nineteenth-ranked Midland University beat College of Saint Mary to the punch early in Saturday's GPAC Tournament volleyball quarterfinal.

And as hard they tried, the Flames were never able to climb out of that funk.

Third-seeded Midland kept the pressure on throughout the match and ended sixth-seeded CSM's season 25-15, 25-19, 25-15 at the Wikert Event Center.

"They were relentless,'' CSM Coach Rick Pruett said. "They were on in all aspects of the game and we weren't. We just never got anything going offensively. We just weren't being and we were making it too easy for them.''

CSM had won three straight Great Plains Athletic Conference matches entering the match to earn that sixth seed. However, its season ended at 15-13, while Midland improved to 18-9 and will play at second-seeded Concordia University in Wednesday's 7 p.m. semifinal.

Pruett said his team's rough night wasn't for a lack of effort.

"They worked hard. They tried hard all the time,'' he said. "It's never been about that. It's just getting yourself out of that funk. In all sports, it's not just how athletic you are or the physical part of things. It's the mental part of things and how do you move past the mistakes and build yourself up to match the energy or match the level of play across the net.''

Azaria Green was the bright spot on the CSM attack, leading the team with eight kills and a .467 hitting percentage. Caylin Barnett added seven kills.

Kennedy Buck had 14 assists and Kaitlyn Busby was just behind with 13. Elen Pruett led the defense with seven digs and Busby contributed six. Caitlin McCormack served two of the team's four aces.

It was an emotional scene after the match.

"I love this group,'' Rick Pruett said. "We didn't have any drama on the team, and that's the kind of stuff we want. They worked hard. It just wasn't meant to be.''

CSM says goodbye to Busby, Krissy Radicia, Madalyn Welp, Jadeyn Smidt and Paige Roberts.

"All of those kids have meant a lot to our program,'' the CSM coach said. "I'm going to miss those guys, because they're just a good group of kids.''