Volleyball lost to a tough opponent Tuesday night at home.

The Ravens lost 3-0 to the unbeaten MidAmerican Nazarene University Pioneers.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead in the first set, going up 5-0 to force a Ravens timeout. The home side quickly closed to within 2 points, but MNU made sure the Ravens never leveled the score. The Ravens fell behind 19-10 later in the set but fought back to 21-16. However, MNU closed out the first set with a 25-17 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set didn't go as the Ravens hoped as they looked to bounce back after dropping the first set. The teams traded points early in the set, but the Pioneers rattled off 8-straight points to take an 11-4 lead. MNU maintained control the remainder of the set and won 25-12 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Pioneers recorded a .429 attack percentage in the second set, while the Ravens struggled against the MNU block, recording a .026 attack percentage.

The Pioneers had a .548 hit percentage, while the Ravens managed just a .125 hit percentage.

Like the second set, the Ravens and Pioneers traded points early in the third set. Unfortunately for the Ravens, MNU used another extended run to take control of the set, turning a 6-6 score into a 13-6 Pioneers lead. MNU pushed its lead to 23-13, but the Ravens battled back. A 5-0 run cut into the MNU lead, but the visitors won the set, 25-20, and took the match 3-0.

The Ravens finished with a .080 attack percentage in the match, while the Pioneers finished with a .384 attack percentage. The Pioneers also finished with an 8-5 advantage in blocks.

Regan Bruggeman had a team-high 9 kills for the Ravens, while Maggie Schoening and Sabrina Oncins each had 6 kills. Marea Wortmann had 19 assists and Mary Pat Taylor had 2 aces.

The Ravens fall to 9-5 on the season and 3-2 in Heart play. The (RV) Pioneers improve to 12-0 and 5-0 in conference action.

The Ravens will look to bounce back when they host Peru State College at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23.