OWENSBORO, KY. – It went down to the wire for the Kentucky Wesleyan College volleyball team. The Panthers lost in five sets to Malone University on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan took the opening two sets and lost the final set 17-15. 
 
The Panthers looked to take control early in the first set, however, the Pioneers had other ideas. With four straight points Malone tied the opening set at 21. Wesleyan responded by winning the next three points, capped off with a kill from Julia Kupper. Leading 24-22, Kupper gave the Panthers the opening set win with another kill. 
 
Wesleyan won the back-and-forth second set 25-23. Tied at 23 Kupper and Hadley Wolfe notched the final two points for the Panthers. The Pioneers turned the tide in the third set by winning seven of eight points in the middle of the frame to take a 19-12 lead and win 25-17. 
 
The Pioneers won 12 of the first 17 points in the fourth and hung on late to force a decisive fifth set. Malone took a 6-3 lead in the final set before three straight kills from Kamryn Parlin and two from Havanah John knotted the frame at six. The Panthers tied the frame again at nine and 10 points, before taking a 11-10 lead. 
 
With long rallies, the Pioneers managed to stay close and took a 14-13 lead, but Parlin's kill tied the set again. The two teams exchanged attacking errors on the next two points and things stood at a 15-15 tie. Malone secured the next two points, winning long rallies to end the set 17-15, and match 3-2. 
 
Parlin finished with 11 kills and 17 digs. John added 10 kills and two block assists. Both Kupper and Wolfe finished with nine kills, Kupper added 20 assists and 12 digs. Embry Burgess recorded 27 digs. 
 
The Panthers will continue G-MAC play on Friday with a trip to Hillsdale. The match against the Chargers is scheduled to start at 6PM CT. 
 
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