ALLENTOWN, Pa.-- Eastern University Volleyball dropped a pair of tight matches on the opening evening of the Buttermaker Tournament hosted by Muhlenberg College. The Eagles (3-5)  fell in three sets to Haverford College (9-0) before falling in a five-set heartbreaker to the host Mules in the last match of the night.

How It Happened:
The Eagles hit only .162 in falling to the Fords for the second time this season. Caroline Shelby led the Eagles with 11 kills. Cecilia Bauer led the Eastern defense with 11 digs. 

The Eagles won the opening two sets against the hosts. Eastern hit .211 to run away to a 25-16 win in the opening set and earned a 26-24 win in the second set. The Mules held a 23-17 lead in the frame before the Eagles fought back to win the set. 

The Mules scored the final four points of the third set to extend the match with a 25-21 win. After Muhlenberg ran out to a big lead and held on to take the fourth set by a 25-20 score, the match came down to a fifth set.

Playing in a deciding frame for the first time this season, the Eagles led 12-11 late. The hosts scored four of the final five points to claim the match. Shelby had 22 kills and 15 digs. Bauer added 18 kills and Ally Spillane had 17 digs and Morgan Kline had 25 assists and 16 digs.

Coach Birtwistle Says:
"We played a stronger match tonight than we did a couple weeks ago against Haverford, so we are seeing some improvement. Unfortunately we let one go against Muhlenberg. They fought back to take the match. With the sets being close, the match came down to making plays at critical times. They made more plays in the clutch. We will rebound and put together a couple good matches tomorrow."

Up Next:
The Eagles are back at the Buttermaker tournament tomorrow. They will play the College of Mount Saint Vincent and Penn State Abington.