ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Marymount University dropped a heartbreaker against Cabrini University on Wednesday evening, as the Saints fell in five sets to their Atlantic East Conference rival.

It was a back-and-forth affair all evening, as both sides fought to lock up the top seed ahead of the AEC postseason. Cabrini took the first frame, 25-18, but the Saints responded in a big way in the second set.

Marymount exploded with a .333 attack percentage during the stanza, which resulted in a whopping 25-7 win. The Blue and White used an early 7-0 run to seize control with the score at 12-2. MU got a pair of kills from Caylee Shelton and two aces from Elissa Munsterman to spur the barrage. It was all Marymount from there, as a kill from Shelton eventually brought the set to a close. 

The Saints followed up their win in the second set with a topsy-turvy 30-28 victory in the third frame. MU floored 16 kills during the set, which featured nine tied scores throughout the battle. Cabrini opened a five-point lead late in the set, but Marymount battled back and rattled off six-straight points to tie the score at 24-24. Kaitlyn Doyle led the charge with three consecutive kills. A kill from Munsterman gave the Saints a set-point chance at 29-28 and the junior delivered an ace on the next play to seal the win.

Despite a 2-1 lead, the Cavaliers managed to take the fourth frame, 25-17, behind a.429 attack percentage. The decisive frame followed the script of the match, with neither side giving an inch to the other. Cabrini managed to open a 13-11 lead, but the Saints took the next two points to level the score. Despite MU's best efforts, the Cavaliers took the final two points to earn the win. 

Munsterman and Doyle led the way offensively for the Saints with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Munsterman finished with a double-double with 16 digs. Sydney Sands posted a match-high 48 assists, while Sarah Pham added 30 digs on the defensive side of the ball. Shelton finished two kills of a shy of a double-double with eight kills and 17 digs.

Marymount returns to action on Friday, October 29, when it heads to Newport News, Virginia for a two-day tournament at Christopher Newport University. The Saints will take on Virginia Wesleyan University at 3:00 p.m. and Salisbury University at 5:00 p.m.