The University of Mary Washington volleyball team fought hard throughout, but came up on the short end of a 25-21, 25-17, 30-28 score to UC Santa Cruz on Sunday afternoon at Ron Rosner Arena. The Eagles slip to 10-13 on the season.

In the first, the Eagles scored five straight in taking an 8-5 lead, but the Banana Slugs answered with a 7-1 run to take a 13-9 lead. The Eagles answered with four of the next five to tie the score at 14-14. After falling behind, 20-15, UMW answered again, cutting the margin to 23-21, before dropping the last two points of the game.

The Eagles jumped ahead again in the second, before a 7-0 run gave the Slugs a 14-9 edge. The Eagles traded runs to draw to within 20-17, but the Slugs finished out the game with five straight.

The third saw the Slugs build a 15-11 lead, but UMW again responded, drawing even at 23-23 with five straight points. The Eagles had three chances to serve for the game, but each time, UCSC answered, and the Slugs finished the match with a 30-28 win in the third.

Senior Chloe Crosen led the Eagles with 10 kills, while sophomore Libby Potter added six. Senior Lauren Foley recorded 21 assists, and junior Brenna Campbell added 10, and senior Hannah Livermon led with four service aces and 13 digs. 

The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, when they host Bridgewater College at 1:00 p.m. for senior day.