Tribunes hold on to defeat Mercyhurst, stay unbeaten.

ROCHESTER - The ninth-ranked MCC volleyball team survived a tough battle with Mercyhurst North East and narrowly escaped with a five-set victory to remain unbeaten on the season.

The Tribunes (9-0) won the first two sets before the Saints rallied to take the next two. Monroe then prevailed in a tense fifth set to claim victory.

Scores were 29-27, 25-8, 17-25, 21-25, 15-12 in favor of MCC.

Tessa Engel finished with 14 kills, 19 digs, and five aces, and Cherelle Grant tallied six kills and seven solo blocks for the Tribunes. Both players came up big as MCC jumped out to a quick lead in the fifth set before holding on down the stretch.

Monroe trailed by as many as seven in the opening set and were facing a pair of set points before rallying. Andrea Green's tip made it 28-27, and Laura Wyckoff adjusted in midair on the next point to find open space on the Mercyhurst side to clinch the set.

The Tribunes then dominated the second set, using solid middle play from Green and Grant to take command of the match.

But the Saints had other plans. Mercyhurst took advantage of some errors by Monroe to take the next two and force the deciding fifth set.

MCC scored the first four points in the final frame, but Mercyhurst again rallied and tied it at seven. A putaway from Engel and a block kill from Grant helped Monroe go up 13-9.

The Saints rattled off three in a row to make it 13-12, but Monroe was then able to score the last two to take the match.

Green also finished with a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs to go along with seven blocks. Blumenfeld had 12 digs and 39 assists, Chelsea Steinruck totaled six kills and nine digs, and Sam Ashman and Alyssa Coates chipped in with nine digs apiece.