In a back-and-forth match, the Lady Bearcats were defeated 3-2 by visiting Carnegie Mellon in the Carey Center.

In the opener, SVC took the 1-0 lead with a 25-17 victory.  CMU answered back to take the second set, 25-18, before the Lady Bearcats went ahead 2-1 in the third with a 25-17 win.

The set of the evening was the fourth, as the Lady Bearcats jumped out to a 6-1 lead.  CMU stormed back, eventually tying it up at 10.  The teams then traded points, sharing four leads over the next several moments before the Lady Bearcats took a 24-23 lead on a Taylor Guido kill.  CMU again battled back, scoring the next two points, but SVC managed to tie it at 25.  CMU ended it, however, earning the next two points to tie the match up at 2-2 with the 27-25 win.

The Tartans momentum carried over into the tie-breaking fifth set, as CMU stormed out to leads of 8-2 and 12-5, before holding off a late SVC rally to win the set 15-11 and the match 3-2.

Natalie Hozak led the way for the Lady Bearcats with 17 kills, while adding 21 digs.  Taylor Guido had 16 kills and 19 digs, while Diana Petrovich contributed with 15 kills.  Devin McGrath also had a strong all-around game, posting 45 assists along with 24 digs.

With the loss, the Lady Bearcat record falls to 5-5, while CMU improves to 6-3.  Saint Vincent returns to action on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Pittsburgh and Chatham University for a Presidents' Athletic Conference tri-match, facing the host Cougars as well as Grove City College beginning at 11am.

Photo (By John Woodruff):  Dawn Timko (left) and Devin McGrath team up for the block in the Lady Bearcats' 3-2 defeat to Carnegie Mellon