OMAHA, Neb. – After a hard-fought, five-set volleyball loss, it wasn't difficult for College of Saint Mary Coach Rick Pruett to pinpoint the most critical stretch.

"I just wish we could have finished that set three,'' he said. "When we're up 16-7, we have to put that one away.''

Midland University, ranked 17^th in the nation in the most recent NAIA Top 25, outlasted the Flames 25-21, 24-26, 27-25, 24-26, 15-9 in the teams' Great Plains Athletic Conference opener at the Lied Fitness Center.

"Our girls battled,'' Pruett said. "It was back and forth. I thought we showed a lot of grit.''

Trailing two sets to one, CSM (7-4, 0-1) nearly gave away another big lead in the fourth. Midland dug out of a 17-10 hole to tie the set at 23. Freshman Chloe Kasischke's kill gave the Flames a set point, but Abree Plueger countered for Midland.

An attack error by the Warriors (6-5, 1-0) and a Madalyn Welp kill sent the match to a fifth set.

The Flames trailed 9-6 in the fifth, but kills by Caylin Barnett and Welp along with a Midland error tied things at 9-9. However, Midland ran off six straight to close out the two-hour-plus match, getting two kills in that run by Plueger, a 5-foot-8 freshman who finished with a match-high 24 kills.

Midland outhit CSM .240 to .112.

"We got really tentative,'' Pruett said. "From the offense's standpoint, I just wish we would be more aggressive. We're playing a little fearful instead of fearless.''

College of Saint Mary compensated with excellent serving, collecting 14 aces to just two errors. Elen Pruett served five aces, Kelsi Gilbert added four and Caitlin McCormack pitched in three.

"I thought we served really well,'' Rick Pruett said. "That's what kept us in that match, keeping them out of system.''

Azaria Green led CSM with 16 kills and a .282 hitting percentage, while Madalyn Welp added 14 kills and hit .222. Kaitlyn Busby notched 24 assists and Kennedy Buck had 17. McCormack had 22 digs, followed by Elen Pruett with 21, Buck with 13 and Krissy Radicia with 10.

"I thought our DSs, Elen and Krissy, played phenomenal,'' Rick Pruett said.

Young Kasischke added four kills in some key moments late in the match.

"For someone who started the season on the injured reserve, she came in as a freshman and offensively did a really good job,'' the CSM coach said. "She had some big kills for us. That's a pretty intense situation to put her in, but I was happy with what she did.

"Jadeyn Smidt also got some touches and came in with some intensity and some energy.''

CSM returns to action Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. GPAC match at No. 2 Concordia University in Seward.