Franz Boelter made his way through the hallways of the Xcel Centre Thursday, pleased that his top-seeded Bethlehem Academy Cardinals had survived a huge challenge from Win-E-Mac in the Class 1A quarterfinals but obviously weary from the grind of another five-set match.

“That was a good team over there,” said Boelter after the Cardinals’ 25-23, 25-21, 15-25, 18-25, 15-11 victory. “I hated the draw when I saw it.”

The tiny volleyball power from Faribault – enrollment 195 – had outlasted defending champion Wabasha-Kellogg in an epic five-setter in the Section 1 finals. That match clearly prepared the Cardinals (24-7) for what they faced in Win-E-Mac, a determined bunch with a strong block and backboard-like defense.

“We talked about that [Wabasha-Kellogg] match after the fourth set,” Boelter said. “It was great to go through that. Win-E-Mac forced us into the same situation and we came back fighting and scrapping.”

Bethlehem Academy showed why it earned the No. 1 seed in the first two sets, patiently working through the Win-E-Mac defense. But the digging and passing for which Bethlehem Academy has made its reputation deserted them in sets three and four as Win-E-Mac rallied to send the match to a fifth-and-deciding set.

The Patriots (29-5), riding a wave of momentum, cruised to a 7-3 lead in the final set before Bethlehem Academy dug in and took control. The Cardinals went on a 10-2 run to take a 13-9 lead and closed out the match on a touch-kill by Maddie Borwege.

“We always tell our team not to breathe life into the other team,” said Boelter, who coached the Cardinals to Class 1A titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. “We did that for awhile there but we fought back, got the momentum and were able to feast on it.”