ALLIANCE, Ohio -- The Adrian College men's volleyball team pushed Mount Union to the limit on Friday evening but ultimately fell in a five-set battle (17-25, 27-25, 25-18, 8-25, 10-15) in MCVL action at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.

Adrian moves to 11-12 overall and 3-5 in conference play, while Mount Union improves to 11-16 (4-4 MCVL).

The Bulldogs were led by Sam Landers, who posted a match-high 18 kills to go along with seven digs. Dominic Rees added nine kills and nine digs, while Carson Bell contributed five kills, three block assists, and a pair of service aces.

Andrew Graczyk paced the offense with 24 assists, while Logan Bender added six assists in the effort. Defensively, Adrian totaled 48 digs, with Rolen Maclin leading the way with 10, and Rees adding nine.

After dropping the opening set, Adrian responded with a tightly contested 27-25 victory in the second, followed by a strong .375 hitting performance in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Mount Union answered in the fourth set, limiting the Bulldogs to just five kills and forcing a decisive fifth set. In the final frame, the Purple Raiders used an early run to create separation and held off Adrian to secure the 15-10 win.

As a team, Adrian recorded 38 kills and 48 digs while adding seven total blocks. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs showed resilience, battling back after an opening-set setback and forcing a fifth set on the road.

Adrian will look to regroup as it continues conference play on the road to Baldwin Wallace Saturday at 1:00 PM for their final match.