PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On Tuesday night, Pace University Volleyball fought hard but came up short in a five-set thriller against Southern Connecticut State inside the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Setters dropped the match 3–2 (25–21, 14–25, 21–25, 25–19, 8–15), moving to 8-8 overall and 0-5 in the Northeast 10 Conference.

Pace opened strong with a 25-21 win in the first set, powered by key kills from Emily Cineus and Cyanna Shirley. After the Owls captured the next two frames, the Setters roared back with their best offensive stretch in the fourth, hitting .385 as Keelah Chambliss (11 kills, .474) and Kadence Ackmann (14 kills) led the attack. Cineus added seven kills and five blocks, while Aralyn Saulys dished out 26 assists to steady the offense.

The decisive fifth set saw the Owls jump ahead early and hold off a late Pace push.

Alice Bender highlighted the back row with 23 digs, while setters Saulys and Camila Rodriguez combined for 44 assists. Shirley and Skyler Tennant chipped in 10 and five kills, respectively.

The Setters travel to Manchester, N.H., to face Southern New Hampshire University next Tuesday for a 6:00 p.m. match-up.