St. Ambrose continued its early-season roll, taking down No. 9 Clarke 3-1 in Dubuque, Iowa, Saturday afternoon. The 25-14, 16-25, 27-25, 25-18 win moved the No. 6-ranked Bees to 3-0 this season.

After cruising through the opening set, SAU stumbled in the second. Then in the third, the Bees fell behind late 23-21. A kill from Levi Vermeulen and a Pride error tied the score. St. Ambrose then fought off two set points, the last erased on another Vermeulen kill. Finally, another Clarke miscue handed SAU a set point, and once again Vermeulen came through with a kill for a 2-1 lead.

The Bees endured a slow start in the fourth set, losing five of the first six points. But two Jaylen Clark kills helped spark a five-point run that gave St. Ambrose a 6-5 advantage.

SAU led just 15-14 before finally pulling away. Another Clark kill was followed by a block from Jake Snyder and Zach Schmidt and then a solo block by Snyder to build an 18-14 lead. The Bees led by at least two points the rest of the way.

Scott MacGillis led all players with 17 kills and four service aces. Vermeulen finished with 15 kills and Clark had 11. Snyder had a match-best 42 assists while Robby Hoffman led everyone with 13 digs.

The Bees return home for a pair of CCAC matches next week. SAU will face Trinity Christian Tuesday before battling Cardinal Stritch Thursday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.