PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Wilkes University women's volleyball team forced a fifth set on Tuesday night before falling 3-2 to Manhattanville College in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom road contest. The Lady Colonels dropped the match by set scores of 19-25, 25-20, 23-25, 30-28, and 13-15.

With the loss Wilkes fell to 4-7 overall and 0-2 in MAC Freedom action. Manhattanville improved to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAC Freedom.

The Lady Colonels were behind 18-13 in the fourth set before coming back to force a fifth and final set. They staved off two match points at 24-23 and 27-26. Kayley Schinski (Nanticoke, PA/Nanticoke) provided the kill to make it 27-27 and then Jamey Mikovich (Nesquehoning, PA/Panther Valley) followed with a kill to give Wilkes the 28-27 lead. After a Valiants point an Alex Ferrier (Cressona, PA/Blue Mountain) kill followed by a Mikovich kill ended the fourth set at a 30-28 score.

Wilkes battled tough in the fifth set but never could gain a lead and after saving two more match points at 14-11 and 14-12 the Lady Colonels fell by a score of 15-13.

In the second set Wilkes used a three-point run when the game was tied at 10 to take a three point lead on a Manhattanville service error and kills by Mikovich and Ferrier. A Schinski kill provided the Lady Colonels with the 25-20 set win.

Many Wilkes players set career-best marks in the match. Mikovich tied a career-high with 19 kills and set a new career-best with 25 digs. Alexis Morgan (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) set a career-high with 23 digs and her 47 assists were one shy of her career best. She also had five digs and three blocks.

Ferrier set a new career-high with 15 kills while Juliet Betke (Poplar Grove, IL/Belvidere North) had a career-high six assists and also had 23 digs. Julie Murphy (Mountaintop, PA/Crestwood) had a career-high 12 digs. Schinski had six kills, seven digs, and four blocks and Madison Scarfaro (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) had nine kills, eight digs, and two blocks.

Wilkes played some excellent defense as a team with 110 digs in the match which was 39 more than they had in any match this season.

The Lady Colonels continue a busy week of volleyball on Thursday, September 21 when they travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on Moravian College at 7:00 p.m. in a non-conference contest.