The Misericordia University volleyball team rallied to force a fifth set, but eventually fell to FDU-Florham, 3-2 (20-25, 9-25, 25-15, 25-17, 5-15), Tuesday night at the Anderson Center.
 
Tara Welliver and Michelle Sehested led the Cougars with 15 kills each while Nicole Tagerty had 46 assists and 14 digs.
 
Paige Shaughnessy had nine kills and 10 digs and Kaitlin Wheeler had two aces and 16 digs.
 
The Cougars fell behind early, 9-3, in the first set and eventually trailed 20-11.
 
Shaughnessy, Welliver and Coleby Charlier combined for two kills each as the Cougars pulled with 22-19, but the Devils held on for a 25-20 win.
 
After FDU cruised to a 25-9 win in the second set, the Cougars responded with two straight impressive wins.
 
Trailing 8-6 in the third set, the Cougars scored nine straight points to take a 15-8 lead.
 
Charlier tied it with a kill and put MU in front with an ace.
 
Collins had two kills and a block and Tagerty added a kill to finish the run.
 
Welliver had a smash from the left and then hit through a block and combined Charlier for a block to make it 20-12.
 
Wheeler's ace stretched the lead to 22-12 and Welliver had two more kills from the left side to make it 24-15 before ending the set on an FDU error.
 
The Cougars used a 6-0 run to take control of the fourth set, 18-9, with Shaughnessy ending the run with back-to-back kills.
 
Up 21-14, Sehested had four kills over the next seven points to clinch a 25-17 win.
 
The Devils took a quick 4-1 lead in the decisive set and built a 12-3 lead before closing out the match.