CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Ashford University volleyball team grinded out another nailbiter to continue Midwest Collegiate Conference play, coming back from two sets down again to defeat Mt. Mercy University on Tuesday night in the Hennessey Center, 3-2.

The Saints (12-3, 2-0 MCC) clipped the Mustangs (6-6, 0-2 MCC) by scores of 19-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, and 15-12 to remain unbeaten in league action. After beating Clarke University by a five-set decision in the MCC opener, AU currently sits atop the conference standings with William Penn University, also at 2-0.

The Saints' trio of frontline standouts in Yawen Xiao, Kelsay McCausland and Hanna Bruns, put up some gaudy numbers in the latest victory, each posting double-digit kill totals.

"We put ourselves in the hole after losing the first two games last night, but I saw a change in play and desire in the girls' eyes half way through the second game that built momentum into the rest of the match," AU Head Coach Micah Cewe said. "We are still searching for a way to stay consistent all the time, but our team has really shown the ability to transition and adapt for the better."

Ashford also kept a six-match winning streak alive against Mt. Mercy dating back to the 2006 campaign.

Xiao, a two-time all-tournament team pick so far this year, spiked down 18 kills versus just one error. Bruns equaled her season-high kill total with 10, tying the number she powered down against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (Sept. 2).

McCausland, now just two kills shy of the vaunted 1,200 mark in her career, nailed down 10 more on Mt. Mercy. Even more telling is the underlying story of her impact on defense as two more solo rejections has her ranked 17th in the nation in total blocks with 55.

The Mustangs pulled away late in the first set, breaking a 19-19 tie by winning the next five points. The momentum carried over into the next set and AU was buried by a 13-4 start that ended up being unrecoverable.

But the tide shifted and Ashford staved off elimination with a gritty effort in the third set, winning the last four points outright to stave off defeat. Xiao opened the fourth set with three consecutive kills and the Saints never relinquished the lead.

The decisive fifth set was impacted by two freshmen outside hitters, lefty Micah Wedemeier of Ionia, and Chelsea Higgins of Festus, Mo. Both keyed a five-point AU run to break an 8-8 tie.

Bruns recorded the Saints' final two points with a pair kills.

Xiao and senior libero Tara VanZuiden of Albany, Ill., each had 16 digs to lead all players. Setters Liz Gbur (31) of Darien, Ill., and JoAnna Hoffman (20) combined for 51 of the team's 55 assists.

The Saints will venture into non-conference territory again tomorrow, heading to Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., for a 7 p.m. match. The JV game, originally schedule at 5 p.m., has been cancelled.