BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College volleyball forced a fifth and deciding set after a 25-10 win in the fourth frame, but the Oswego State Lakers jumped out to an early lead in the final frame en route to a 3-2 win Wednesday night at Bobby Wanzer Court.

The Cardinals, who celebrated senior night before the game now move to 12-14, while Oswego State improves to 13-11 on the season.

After swapping wins in the first and second sets, the Cardinals sprinted out to an 8-4 lead in the third set.  The Lakers would regroup, however, scoring 14 of the game's next 18 points to jump out to an 18-10 lead.  Back-and-forth the scoring went until the home team mounted a comeback of its own as the Cardinals would bring the score to within two, forcing the visiting Lakers to call a timeout.  Fisher continued to apply the pressure, tying the game at 28-28, but two late errors would be the difference, as Oswego State squeaked out the 30-28 win.

Down two sets to one, Fisher exploded in the fourth set.  Three straight kills by Mandi Mereness gave way to a 10-3 lead for Fisher forcing Oswego State to use one of its timeouts.  The break in action did little to slow Fisher's momentum.  The Cardinals continued to pour it on, extending its lead to 19-5.  Oswego would score two quick points, but the Cardinals scored the final three points to force the deciding set.

In the final frame, the Cardinals fell behind early and were unable to overcome the gap, as the Lakers marched to a 15-7 win and the match.

Rachael Kline had a big night as the senior clubbed 15 kills and accounted for five blocks.  Mereness collected 10 kills, while Brooke Meader tallied seven kills to go along with five digs.  Andrea Gillespie registered 14 digs and two service aces.  Jessica Simonetti came up with 15 digs in the loss.  Teammate Erica Stickler had the double-double, tallying a game-high 45 assists and 16 digs.

The Cardinals will return to play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against crosstown rival RIT.