ST. DAVIDS, Pa. After a back-and-forth match, Eastern University Women's Volleyball raced out to an 8-1 lead in the fifth set and held off the visiting Misericordia Cougars to secure a 15-8 victory int he final frame and a five-set non-league win. Hannah Pringle finished with 17 kills, Viviana Fragoso had 15 digs and six aces, and Veronica Faber finished with seven blocks, four aces, and three kills as the Eagles (12-4) won the odd sets up their 12th win of the year.

The Eastern veterans played a major role in the final set. The Eagles earned a sideout on a Pringle kill to start the fifth, and Fragoso served a pair of aces in a five-point burst. After the Cougars finally earned a point, Pringle again provided the answer with her second of three kills in the final set. Kallie Rogers earned the service point to switch sides  thanks to a big block from Faber and Josie Arezina.

The Cougar veterans found their feet after a second timeout and pulled to within two points at 8-6. Pringle pounded out her final kill of the match to stop the run.

Emma Ciesielka, playing in her first match of the season, put the Eagles up 10-6 with a service ace before Faber and Alexis Standford combined for a block and a relatively comfortable 11-6 edge. The Cougars earned a sideout, but Standford answered right back with two-consecutive kills. Faber delivered an ace to give the Eagles their first match point at 14-7. The Cougars earned a sideout on the 17th kill of the match from Meghan Peters, but the following serve floated long and the Eagles emerged with the win. Eastern hit .286 with four aces, two blocks, and no receiving or service errors in the final set.

While the win is Eastern Volleyball's 30th-straight win over the Cougars, this year's Misericordia squad came in with a veteran group that had already picked up some big wins on the year. The Cougars hold wins over Stockton, Scranton, Messiah, and Stevens.

While the Eagles won the opening set, it did not come easily. Up 24-18, the Eagles got stuck in a rotation where they struggled to receive serve against Peters.  The Misericordia star picked her spots, served aggressively, and put the Eagles out of system all the way to 24-24. The Eagles finally broke the run with a block from Jessie Schreiber and Maddie Golia. After Misericordia tied the set at 25, Schreiber put down her third kill of the opening set to set up set point. A good serve from Fragoso started the point and the Eagles earned a 27-25 win.

The Eagles started behind in the second and never caught up. The Cougars led 12-11 before winning 11 of the next 16 points to go up 23-16. Eastern found a little momentum with a three-point run late, but the Cougars won 25-19. Misericordia hit .321 in the frame. Eastern only had seven kills in the set.

The third set was nearly a mirror to the second. Every Eastern shot seemed to hit a line. The Eagles had 13 kills and a .360 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks, and four aces for a 25-13 win. Grace Cooper had four digs in the frame.

Fragoso had eight digs in the fourth set, but the Cougars were incredibly efficient on offense. The guests hit .326 with only one error to force a fifth with a 25-19 win.

Standford finished with 12 kills. Ciesielka and Cooper each had eight digs. Rogers had 22 assists and Sarah Furey had 14. Eastern's 16 service aces was the team's second highest total on the year.

"That's a good win for us," Head Coach Mark Birtwistle said after the match. "Misericordia is a strong team and a MAC Freedom contender. We are getting closer to playing the type of ball we are capable of. We are being more mindful and learning to implement our training at the important moments."

The Eagles have only a little time to rest. They are at Lebanon Valley College tomorrow at noon.