THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The No. 9 Marymount University men's volleyball team battled back and forth with California Lutheran University on Tuesday night but came up just short against the Kingsmen in a five-set thriller. 

The Blue and White took the first set of the match, 25-22, behind 16 kills and a .355 attack percentage. Cal Lutheran battled back in the second set, however, and took the frame, 25-21. The Kingsmen seized the momentum after the second stanza and snuck ahead of the Saints with a 26-24 win in the third set. 

Down two-sets-to-one, the Saints rediscovered their free-flowing attack in the fourth frame. MU floored 13 kills and swung at a .321 clip to force the decisive fifth set. 

Cal Lutheran jumped ahead early in teh final set, but the Saints battled back and took the lead at 13-12 after back-to-back kills from Mason Moore and Raymond Tarasi. The teams traded blows from there, and the Saints knotted the score at 23-23 and at 24-24, via kills from Tarasi. Despite the late push, the Kingsmen won the final two points of the set to seal the match. 

Ervin Harrell and Tarasi led the way for the Saints' offense with 17 and 15 kills, respectively. Mason Moore chipped in 10 kills and seven blocks while Sava Topich shattered his career-best mark for assists with a match-best 54. On defense, senior Chris Manganiello led the Saints with 10 digs. 

Marymount returns to the court on Friday, March 11, for a pair of matches at the Cal-Lu-Fornia Classic. MU battles St. John Fisher College at 7:00 p.m. EST and Aurora University at 10:00 p.m. EST.