BISMARCK — Down two sets to none, the Cardinals’ path to a repeat championship hit a major roadblock.

After losing 25-17 in the first set, they battled in the second. They even had leads of 20-17 and 23-22.

But they dropped the final three points. Langdon Area/Munich was in a hole, one set away from having to settle for runner-up.

“Our coach always has the motto that if you can win one, you can win two,” LA/M sophomore Emma Hall said. “And as soon as we got some momentum at the end of the second set, we knew we could do it.”

So the Cardinals went to work. They’re a young team, and perhaps their youth showed in those first two sets. Especially in the first, when they made an uncharacteristic amount of errors and dropped the last five points.

But for a team that only has one senior — fu

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