Ravens Volleyball dropped a five-set thriller at home Friday night.
The Ravens won the second and third sets against the No. 21 Central Methodist University Eagles, but lost the match 3-2.
The first set did not start, or end, the way the Ravens wanted. The Eagles sprinted out to a 6-1 lead before the Ravens found their footing. Slowly, the home side chipped away at the visitor's lead, leveling the score 12-12 halfway through the set.
CMU responded in a big way, closing out the set on a 13-4 run to win the opening set 25-16. The Eagles had a .382 attack percentage compared to .111 for the Ravens.
The Ravens came out ready to defend the Eagles in the second set. The teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle the entire set. The Ravens took a 14-11 lead only to see the Eagles come back to take a 21-18 lead when a great team effort set up Haley Cahill for a kill. The Ravens then pushed back ahead 23-19 only to see CMU score 5-straight to take a 24-23 lead and a point away from winning the set.
But the Ravens continued to fight, leveling the score at 24-24. The winning points came from Mary Pat Taylor and Maura Lickteig to give the Ravens a 27-25 win and to even the match at 1-1. The Ravens held the Eagles to a .108 attack percentage in the second set.
The third set was a lot like the second as both teams fought back-and-forth. The Ravens took a 12-9 lead on the 5th ace of the match by Marissa Mantz, but then the Eagles stormed back to take a 17-14 lead. The Ravens then came back to go in front 18-17 only for CMU to move in front 21-20.
That's when the Ravens went into closer mode, finishing the set on a 5-1 run to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 advantage in the match. The Ravens had a .262 attack percentage in the third, with the Eagles checking in at .250.
The fourth set was all CMU Eagles as they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The Ravens called a timeout to try to slow down momentum, but it was to no avail. The Eagles went on to win the set 25-13 to force a fifth and final set. CMU recorded a .364 attack percentage in the fourth.
The Ravens went into Friday a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches but unfortunately, the final set went to the Eagles. The teams traded points early and were tied 6-6, but CMU caught fire to close out the set on a 9-2 run, winning the match 3-2. The Eagles hit .407 percent in the fifth set, while the Ravens hit just .143 percent.
Leading the way for the Ravens were Hokulani Sagapolu with 12 kills, Regan Bruggeman and Taylor each with 11 kills, and Sabrina Oncins with 8 kills. Amber Allen had 27 assists and Cahill added 16 assists. Mantz was a force serving, notching 6 aces. Defensively, Sagapolu had 21 digs, and Taylor, Amber Allen and Evelyn Arreola each had 14.
The Ravens (19-7, 11-5 Heart) close out the regular season with a Tuesday, Oct. 31 match at Missouri Valley College.
