For the first time since 2010, St. Ambrose is advancing to the final site of the NAIA Women's Volleyball Tournament.

The Bees earned the trip by taking out No. 16 College of Saint Mary in five sets in Omaha, Neb., Saturday afternoon. The Bees outlasted the Flames 31-29, 30-28, 18-25, 20-25, 15-12 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes.

SAU came up big in the important moments. The Bees fought off three set points in the first and five more in the second. In the first set, a block from Hannah Sondag and Meredith Umland handed St. Ambrose the win. Then, after fighting off a 24-22 deficit thanks to a big Alex Horne block, the Bees got a kill from Devyn Church and a solo block from Umland to take a 2-0 lead.

Saint Mary (22-9) battled back to win the next two sets to force a decisive fifth set.

In the fifth, it was the serving of a freshman that proved key. Kaleigh Bergschneider helped St. Ambrose run off six straight points that turned a 4-4 tie into a 10-4 advantage. Adriana Diaz, Ella Gatz and Meredith Siebers each had a kill during the run, and Gatz and Siebers each teamed with Umland for a block during the run.

The Flames chipped away to get within 12-10 before an Umland kill gave SAU some breathing room. A kill from Mackenzie Grafton gave the Bees a 14-11 lead, and two points later, Siebers and Horne combined on a block to extend the team's season.

Grafton and Siebers each finished with 16 kills while Umland added 12. Horne put down 10 kills against just one hitting error. Church chipped in with six kills. Sondag was credited with 52 assists and 14 digs. Grafton (16 digs) and Siebers (10) also posted double-doubles. Lexi Huntley picked up 12 digs. Diaz posted four aces and Grafton had a pair. Umland was in on nine total blocks while Horne had eight.

SAU, now 20-14 and riding an eight-match winning streak, advances to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, for the first time since 2010. Pool play assignments will be announced Sunday with play beginning Nov. 29.