Sterling, Kan. - Sterling College was narrowly defeated by the University of Saint Mary on Wednesday night at the Gleason Center in Sterling, Kansas. Saint Mary triumphed over Sterling in five sets, holding off a late fifth set rally by the Lady Warriors.

Saint Mary took the first set 26-24 on the strong play by junior outside hitter Jessic

a Seichepine. Seichepine had six kills in the first set. The Lady Warriors were unable to overcome the constant attack that Saint Mary presented in the first set.

Sterling rebounded in the second set in a solid team effort. Gelisa Thornton, a freshman middle hitter, and Caitlin Magee, a junior middle hitter, patrolled the net for the Lady Warriors, preventing Saint Mary from taking a two sets to one lead. Sterling won the set 25-21.

The third set belonged to Saint Mary behind the play of Seichepine and junior outside hitter Brooke Didde. Seichepine had four kills in the set and Didde added three kills. Saint Mary controlled most of the set and held off a late Lady Warrior rally to take the set 25-20.

The fourth set proved to be a thriller, as the Warriors rallied late in the set to take a lead. Freshman libero Beckie Smiley had a strong set, saving the Lady Warriors in multiple situations and Magee finished at the net. The set ended on a Saint Mary double-hit, giving the Lady Warriors a 27-25 set win and forcing a deciding fifth set.

Saint Mary controlled the fifth set early, going up 6-1 before the Lady Warriors started to crawl their way back into the match. Gutsy plays by the Lady Warriors made Sterling competitive in the set. Steria came to life in the fifth set, scoring three kills on six attacks. However, the Lady Warriors were unable to dig completely out of the early hole and lost the set 11-15.

Steria had another good game for the Warriors with a double-digit kill total of 13. Sophomore setter Adriana Gonzalez added 28 assists and Smiley had 15 digs.

Seichepine was the highlight for Saint Mary, ending the game with 18 kills and leading Saint Mary to their first victory of the season.

With the loss, Sterling's record falls to 3-2. On Friday and Saturday, the Warriors will travel to Baldwin City, Kansas to play in the Baker Invitational. Sterling's first match is in on Friday at 11:00 AM against Ottawa University.