The Raven Volleyball team struggled to find any rhythm on Tuesday, losing to the Evangel Crusaders in three sets, 25-18, 25-15 and 25-22 in the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.

The Ravens started off on the right foot, taking an 11-5 lead early in the first set. However, the Crusaders were quick to even the score, 12-12, and Benedictine was unable to regain any momentum. Evangel closed the set on a 13-6 run to grab the 1-0 lead.

That momentum carried over into the second set for the Crusaders. The visitors took a 15-10 lead forcing the Ravens to take a timeout. That didn't stem the tide, though, as the Crusaders won the set by 10 points.

Evangel had a hit percentage of .467 and .464 in the first two sets, compared to .235 and .107 for the Ravens.

Benedictine fell behind in the third set, but fought back to even the score at 17-17 on an ace by Emily Dalton. However, the Crusaders scored four-straight to grab control of the set once again. Down 20-24, the Ravens were able to score twice to close the gap but were unable to climb all the way back. Evangel had a hit percentage of .273 and the Ravens were .222 in the third set.

In the match, Benedictine had 16 errors compared to nine errors for Evangel.

Fleur Wesselink led the way with 14 kills for the Ravens. Sara Rahmanzai had nine kills and Makenna Ketter had six kills. Abby Brown had nine digs, Taylor Shroll had two aces and Dalton and Sydney Wiedenmann each had one ace. Rahmanzai had two block assists and Paxton Throne and Ketter each had one. Throne added 24 assists and six digs.

The Ravens are now 15-10 overall and 9-4 in Heart of America play. Next up on the schedule is a road trip to Iowa to take on William Penn University in Oskaloosa on Friday, Oct. 19, and then a trip to Des Moines on Saturday, Oct. 20 to take on No. 2 Grand View University.