RALEIGH, N.C. -- In front of a full house in Weatherspoon Gymnasium, the Meredith College volleyball Angels suffered a disappointing 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 23-25, 19-25) loss to USA South rival William Peace University. MCVB claimed a swift first set lead before letting go of three straight to an energetic Pacer squad with nothing to lose.

Meredith appeared to be in control of the match after cruising to a 1-0 advantage with .289 hitting and five blocks. But Peace challenged the Angels in the second stanza and evened the score on a 6-1 rally down the stretch.

MCVB rallied and reclaimed the momentum on an 8-0 sun early in the third frame. The Avenging Angels held on at 15-12 before WPU scored the next four to edge back in front. Whitney Bolton interrupted the flow, but three more Pacer points extended the advantage in favor of the visitors. The teams exchanged points until Bailey Lucas set up Kenzie Moore and Ally Copenhaver for back-to-back kills. Two more points with help from Lucas pulled MCVB to within one 23-22, but WPU's Mya Parks gave the Pacers set-point on the next play. A service error left the door open for the Angels until another Parks kill closed the frame with William Peace up 2-1.

A deflated Angels squad continued to battle but would not find a way back into the match.

Caroline Corey finished as the only Angel with double-digit kills, adding eight digs. Copenhaver and Hailey Long finished with nine apiece, and Moore tallied eight with six blocks. Cathy Delano had three solo stuffs and assisted on three others to go along with seven kills from the middle. Lauren Phillips led all with 28 digs, and Lucas finished with 12 to go along with 23 assists in her third career double-double. Emily Skoglund notched 11 with the only service ace for the Angels.

Four Pacers posted double-digit kills with Abby Benton leading the pack with 15 to go along with as many digs. Bergin Gillespie grabbed 23 digs.

With the conference tournament around the corner and the Angels battling for a top-seed, every loss comes at a premium. MCVB heads to Salem to play a fourth ranked Spirits team Friday night. The strong East Division continues regular season action through Saturday. Stay tuned for tournament pairings and final seeding.