HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The Marymount University men's volleyball team grinded out three close sets to No. 10 Juniata in its first Continental Volleyball Conference match of the season, falling 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 30-28). 

Led by the eighth-straight double-digit kill performance of senior Sam Safley with a match-high 19 kills, the Saints remained tight with the Eagles throughout the whole. 

In the first set, it was the Saints that jumped out in front quick with the first four points of the match with kills by Safley, sophomore Raymond Tarasi and freshman Hayden Kerekes and a service ace by sophomore Miles Olson. 

Marymount maintained a lead throughout much of the set, losing it for the first time at 19-18. Neck and neck through 21-21, eventually the Eagles hit a four-point stretch to close out set one, 25-21.

The second game started out similar to the first, with three-straight kills for the Saints, two by Safley and one by Tarasi. Again, MU held the advantage to 13-11 until a four-point run for Juniata put it in the driver seat for the rest of the set, taking the two-game lead with a 25-19 decision.

In the third, the Saints didn't trail until the final few points in regulation, as they looked to push the match to a fourth set. With a 21-19 advantage, MU saw the Eagles hit another four-point stretch to take their first lead of the game, 23-21. However, the Saints responded with three points of their own to put the game at set point and force the Eagles into a timeout. 

The break proved useful, as the teams traded points deep into the third set before Juniata earned back-to-back kills to take the match, 30-28. 

Safley's 19 points were at an impressive .395 clip, while Olson and Tarasi chipped in for a combined 13 kills. Senior Joseph Zanelotti sent out a team-high 35 assists, while also leading the team in digs with eight. 

The Saints continue league play on Saturday, February 8, traveling to Elizabethtown College for a 1 p.m., start.