CLARION, Pa. -- Mercyhurst rallied in the third and fourth sets to force a deciding fifth set against Clarion but could not complete the come-from-behind victory as the Golden Eagles outlasted the Lakers by a 3-2 margin (26-24, 27-25, 22-25, 22-25, 15-10).

Gretta Freyermuth and Becky Leusch paced the Lakers with 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Chelsea Jensen added nine kills on the night.  Setter Julia Butler guided the offensive scheme with 35 helpers while Elyse Texido and Kendal Ashworth tallied 19 and 18 digs.

Up front Leusch combined with Becky Smith to register four blocks each while middle blocker Justine Smith added three blocks.

Clarion improves to 23-6 overall, 13-2 in the PSAC West.  Mercyhurst falls to 17-9 overall, 8-6 in divisional play and are two matches behind third-place teams Gannon and Edinboro.

Next up for Mercyhurst is another road game, this time at Slippery Rock at 4 p.m.