The match started slowly for MVNU (20-7, 2-2 AMC) as after a 6-6 tie in the first set the Lady Cougars watched as the visiting Lady Racers (15-9, 2-1 AMC) built a 21-10 advantage on the way to taking the first set 25-15.

MVNU continued to struggle in the second set as the Lady Cougars’ early 6-3 advantage turned into a 22-15 deficit. However, MVNU finally began to show signs of life as the Lady Cougars scored seven of the next eight points to close the gap to 23-22 as junior outside hitter Jackie Albrecht (left) smashed a pair of kills and served up an ace. MVNU was unable to complete the comeback, though, as Northwestern Ohio held on for a 25-23 victory.

However, the Lady Cougars had finally gained some momentum and took some new-found energy with them into the third set. MVNU scored the first point of the set on a kill by Albrecht and then never trailed as the Lady Cougars pulled out a tight 25-22 victory to force a fourth set. Albrecht led the way with eight kills in the set, while junior middle hitter Sarah Yutzy added four kills and a block.

The fourth set was close at the outset with the Lady Racers holding a slim 10-9 lead early on. Then, MVNU rattled off six straight points to take a 15-10 lead as senior right-side hitter Courtney Springer pounded a pair of kills.

The lead grew to 18-11 as Springer hammered two more kills and Yutzy added a kill and a block. After Northwestern Ohio pulled within 18-14, three kills by Albrecht and a pair of kills by Yutzy gave the Lady Cougars a 25-15 victory in the set to force a fifth and deciding set.

The Lady Racers sped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the fifth set and then increased it to 6-2 before kills by Springer and Yutzy closed the gap to 6-4. Northwestern Ohio’s lead grew to as much as 13-7 and then 14-8 before kills by Yutzy and senior outside hitter Julie Haumschild started to make things interesting as the gap closed to 14-10. However, the Lady Racers pounded a kill to take the set 15-10 and end the match.

“This was a tough loss,” said MVNU coach Paul Swanson. “To lose two straight conference matches in five sets is rough. We did not play well at all in the first set and finally started to get things going late in the second set to make it close. We did better in the third and fourth sets, but we just made too many errors in the fifth set to pull it out.”

Albrecht finished with 22 kills, a career-high 33 digs, two aces, and three blocks, while Yutzy pounded a career-high 16 kills to go with five blocks. Senior setter Kaylin Austen handed out 52 assists to go along with 10 digs and three blocks, and Springer added 13 kills and 14 digs. Freshman libero Kaylee Hewitt and junior Caitlin Myles recorded 18 and 14 digs respectively, while freshman middle hitter Haley Nofziger registered a career-high eight kills.

MVNU will look to return to its winning ways on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will travel to Ursuline College for an AMC tri-match against the host Arrows at 11:00 a.m. and Houghton (N.Y.) College at 1:00 p.m.