ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team came back from a two-set deficit to force a fifth set before eventually falling by a 25-21, 25-16, 19-25, 25-27, 15-6 score to No. 23-ranked Bethel University on Friday evening at Robertson Center.

After dropping the first two sets, St. Olaf (9-11, 4-2 MIAC) fought back by taking the third set and a highly-competitive fourth set to send the match the distance, but Bethel (16-4, 5-1 MIAC) managed to outlast the Oles in the fifth set. The Royals committed just one attack error and hit .400 in the decider, while the Oles hit -.100 with six attack errors.

Sophomore Catherine Moore had a team-high 18 kills and hit .457 for St. Olaf, which had four student-athletes in double figures in kills on the night. Senior Katelyn Lannom added 12 kills and six total blocks, while junior Nicole Banitt and sophomore Anysia Caille had 10 kills apiece.

Senior Brynne Gray tallied 31 assists to go along with 13 digs while splitting setting duties with first year Waverly Thao, who had 23 assists and seven digs. Reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week Selena Rodriguez recorded 17 digs, while junior Christina Cheng had 14 and sophomore Kylie Reardon added 12.

After dropping the first two sets, St. Olaf began its rally in the third, hitting a blistering .519 in the set to extend the match to a fourth set. Moore had six kills on eight errorless swings in the set. The Oles built a 17-11 lead before the Royals got within one at 19-18. Caille and Lannom had back-to-back kills to end a 3-0 Bethel run and start a 6-1 close to the set for St. Olaf.

The fourth set featured 13 ties and six lead changes before it eventually went the way of the Oles, 27-25, despite nine kills from the Royals' Kirstin Cotter in the set. Bethel was two points away from winning the match in four leading 23-21 before a Lannom kill and a block by Lannom and Cheng evened the set at 23-23. St. Olaf saved a match point trailing 24-23 and Bethel fended off a set point down 25-24 to even the set at 25-25, but a kill by Lannom and an ace by Rodriguez sent the match the distance.

The Royals regrouped in the fifth set, winning the first three points and six of the first eight to open up an early lead. The Oles never managed to get closer than three as the hosts ran away with the set and match by winning seven of the final nine points of the match.

Both teams hit over .400 in the opening set but Bethel grabbed the opener after hitting at a .484 clip. The Royals broke a 17-17 tie with a quick 3-0 run and won the final three points of the set after the Oles got back within a point at 22-21. St. Olaf hit just .026 in the second set as Bethel went on a 9-1 run midway through the set to open up a 21-14 lead and never looked back.

Cotter had a match- and career-high 26 kills and hit .444 for the Royals, who also got 11 kills from Danielle Friedges and 10 from Emily Rossing. Hannah Wilhite had 52 assists, seven kills, seven digs, and three aces for the hosts.

The loss was St. Olaf's sixth to a nationally-ranked opponent this season. The Oles look to bounce back on Saturday, Oct. 16 with a 7 p.m. match at Augsburg.