The Panthers lost the first set of the night to the Bruins 25-20, but came back with a second-set 25-17 win where it looked like things may be looking up for the Eastern volleyball team.

The set win was not enough as Belmont rallied back in sets three and four to down the Panthers 3-1, putting Eastern on the losing end of a match again. Belmont took set three 25-18 and set four 25-12.

Eastern dominated in the second set, earning five blocks and limiting Belmont to just 11 kills after the Bruins put down 21 in the first set.

The Panthers led midway through the third set 14-12, but Belmont scored four-straight points and never looked back. Other than how the final score turned out, it was neck-and-neck most of the way.

The fourth set was all Belmont. The Bruins came out fast and dominated Eastern in the deciding set. Belmont came away with a 25-12 win in the fourth set and a 3-1 match win.

Maria Brown led the Panthers offensively with eight kills. What was the most noticeable stat for Belmont was they had four players in double-digit kills. Eastern was able to dig up some, but a majority was powered past the Eastern defense.

Eastern had nine blocks to Belmont’s five, but Coach Sam Wolinski said the Panthers need to do a better job of digging their opponents’ kills to set themselves up for points.

Sean Hastings can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]