PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – In a match filled with momentum swings and long rallies, the Pace University volleyball team battled fiercely but came up just short in a five-set showdown against Saint Michael's College on Saturday afternoon at the Goldstein Fitness Center. After dropping the first two sets, the Setters stormed back to even the match before narrowly falling 3-2 (17-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 14-16). The result moves Pace to 8-7 overall and 0-4 in the Northeast 10 Conference, while the Purple Knights improve to 5-13 and 2-2 in league play.

The opening frames saw Saint Michael's capitalize on early errors, but once the Setters found their rhythm, the energy inside Goldstein shifted dramatically. Behind the offensive consistency of Cyanna Shirley and Kadence Ackmann, the Blue and Gold clawed their way back into contention and used strong serving and net defense to seize momentum in the middle stages of the match.

Shirley powered the attack with 14 kills on a .407 hitting percentage and four blocks, while Ackmann matched her with 14 kills, 18 digs, and a pair of aces. Emily Cineus added eight kills and four blocks, while Aralyn Saulys posted 17 assists, 14 digs, and two service aces to lead a balanced offense. Setter Camila Rodriguez finished with 16 assists, one ace, and five digs, and Alice Bender anchored the back row with 13 digs and two aces.

After the Setters won back-to-back sets to force a decisive fifth, both sides traded points in a tense final frame that featured seven ties and five lead changes. Despite Pace's relentless defense and a surge of late kills from Shirley and Ackmann, the Purple Knights escaped with a 16-14 finish to close the match. The Blue and Gold tallied 83 digs, 22 total blocks, and 10 aces in the loss, highlighted by Leah Mendez's eight block assists at the net.

Pace will look to bounce back on Tuesday, October 21, when it returns home to host Southern Connecticut State University in another NE10 match-up at the Goldstein Fitness Center.