MINOT - As might have been expected, West Fargo, the East Region's top seed, advanced through Thursday's quarterfinal of the state Class A volleyball tournament.

But the 3-0 victory over St. Mary's didn't go the way most observers might have expected.

The Packers downed St. Mary's 3-0, but had their hands full in the final two games. The final tally was 25-14, 25-21, 26-24. St. Mary's led 20-18 before dropping the second game and let a 24-20 edge get away in the third game.

St. Mary's coach Kari Leier said the last two games were definitely there for the taking.

"West Fargo was struggling a little bit. It was a good time for us to capitalize and we weren't able to do it," Leier said. "It goes back to our offense. It wasn't what it needed to be today."

The Packers won the last two games by just hanging around. Their longest run in the second game was four points until they took command and outscored the Saints 8-1 for the win. Similarly in the third game, West Fargo didn't have a run of more than three points until a 6-0 surge won the match.

"We lacked communication for most of the match," said Sarah Denne, a 5-foot-10 senior hitter for West Fargo. "But we were pretty determined not to lose a game."

West Fargo entered the state tournament rolling along on a 22-match winning streak.

Denne said Thursday's performance wasn't what the Packers have grown accustomed to.

"We've been playing better recently," she said. "We had a couple of matches where we dipped below our normal level but it's been a while."

"We're kind of hoping we got our bad game out of the way and get better from here on," she added. "You have to look at it that way."

Denne said it took the Packers some time to adjust to St. Mary's style of play.

"They play some pretty good defense and they play a different game from what we've seen," she said. "Their serve receive is different and it's just a different pace than we're used to."

West Fargo displayed an array of hitters against the Saints. Jenna Kolb, Blake Selisker, Aryelle Jones and Denne all tallied seven or more kills.

"They have some really good hitters," Leier said. "They were able to rotate four or five deep into the bench."

The flaw in West Fargo's game was at the service line. The Packers had to overcome 14 service errors.

"(Coach Paula Pierson) just said from now on we've got to make them all," Denne said.

The Saints, playing in the state tournament for the first time in 10 years, showed the effects, according to Leier.

"It's the first time they've ever been here. They didn't know what to expect," the coach said. "The last time St. Mary's was at the state tournament was 1998."

St. Mary's 14 21 24

West Fargo 25 25 26

ST. MARY'S: Kills - Morgan Tescher 4, Laura Maddock 4, Taryn Bohan 3, Janci Eisenbarth 3. Blocks - Ellen Mueller 2, Maddock 2. Assists - Mueller 12. Digs - Hana Mattern 10, Mueller 10, Eisenbarth 7, Maddock 7, McKenzie Becker 5. Aces - Bohan 2.

WEST FARGO: Kills - Jenna Kolb 9, Blake Selisker 9, Aryelle Jones 7, Sarah Denne 7, Jessica Gust 5, Alyssa Hummel 4. Blocks - Denne 3. Assists - Gust 21, Jill Gustafson 7, Selisker 4. Digs - Selisker 15, Gust 8, Kolb 5, Gustafson 4, Jones 4. Aces - Kolb 4, Jones 3.

Records: St. Mary's 14-19, WF 33-3.