ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Marymount University men's volleyball team pushed the No.11 nationally-ranked Knights of Southern Virginia University to the brink on Saturday afternoon, but the Saints were unable to upend the visitors in a pair of five-set heartbreakers. 

Game 1

The Saints pushed the Knights to the limit in the opening match of the afternoon, as the contest went the distance in five sets. 

Marymount grabbed a two-sets-to-none lead early to put Southern Virginia in a hole. MU hit fairly consistently across the first two frames with team clips of .231 and .240, respectively. Raymond Tarasi and Miles Olson led the charge across both sets with six kills apiece. 

MU used a 3-0 run in the middle of the first set to take a 15-9 advantage. SVU continued to chip away at the Saints' edge, but Marymount never allowed the visitors to knot the score. Ervin Harrell brought the set to a close with an ace at 25-23. 

The second set was a topsy-turvy affair, as the score was tied on eight occasions. As the set wore on, SVU knotted the proceedings at 24-24 on a kill from McKay Walker.  Despite the late push from the visitors, MU held on to take the set 26-24. 

SVU came out firing in the third set, as the Knights amassed 14 kills and a .433 team attack percentage. MU's attack couldn't keep up with the barrage throughout the set and the visitors took the frame by a 25-16 score. 

Despite a team-high 15 kills in the fourth set, Marymount was unable to solve the Knights. The Saints took a four-point lead late in the set, but a three-point run with a pair of kills from Nahuel Recabarren gave the visitors a 29-27 win. 

The Knights offense continued its hot streak in the fifth and final frame, as SVU swung at a .500 clip. MU took a 4-1 lead early on the heels of a kill from Olson, but it was all Knights from there. SVU registered a 4-0 run late to seal the set and the victory. 

Tarasi finished with a team-high 16 kills while Olson added 11. Sophomore Grayson Andrews tallied 34 assists and Chris Manganiello chipped in with a team-best 10 digs. 

Game 2

The second match of the day was similar to the first, as the Saints raced out to a 2-0 lead after 25-23 and 25-20 wins in the first and second sets, respectively. 

In both frames, the Saints took early needs and were forced to fend off late pushes from SVU. Michael Collins and Andrews combined for a kill to close out the first set at 25-23.

As the second set wore on, MU took a commanding 23-15 lead after an ace from Hayden Kerekes. SVU managed to rattle off five consecutive points, but Marymount turned to Olson once again to put the final touch on the set. The junior floored a kill to give MU the win. 

Much like the opening match, the Knights offense came alive in the third set. SVU floored a match-high 18 kills during the stanza. The teams went blow-for-blow throughout, but SVU managed to steal the final two points. 

The Knights kept their foot on the gas in the fourth set with a strong showing at the net. SVU swing at a .545 clip and took an early lead. The deficit was too much for the Saints to overcome, as SVU won, 25-15.

The momentum stayed with the visitors into the final set. SVU opened the frame with a 6-2 run that was capped by a kill from Kaipo Tagaloa. MU pulled back within four at 9-5 with a kill from Olson. It was too little, too late, however, as SVU took the final stanza, 15-5. 

The Saints return to action on Wednesday, March 17, when they travel to Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania, for a match against Eastern Mennonite University. Opening serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.