The Misericordia University men's volleyball team opened its season with a tough 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-22) loss at Messiah, Wednesday night.

Anthony DePalma led the Cougars with seven kills, three aces and two blocks in his collegiate debut.

Billy Murphy added five kills and Matt Lavin had four kills and three blocks.

Dylan Sellitti had 18 assists and Conner Westerfield had nine digs.

The Cougars fell behind 10-5 in the opener, but used a 4-0 run to pull even, 13-13.  Murphy and Lavin combined for a block and Ross had a kill to go along with two Messiah errors.

Another kill by Ross and a set error by Messiah gave MU its first lead, 18-17.

Messiah rallied to take a 23-20 lead and the Cougars scored three of the next four points, but the Falcons closed the set with a kill to win 25-23.

The Cougars took a 10-6 lead in the second set thanks to a kill by DePalma and Lavin's ace along with two Messiah errors.

After Messiah went ahead, 22-18, the Cougars used a 5-1 spurt to tie the score, 23-23.  DePalma had a kill and an ace and Murphy added an ace in the run, but Messiah the of the next four points to win, 26-24.

In another tight set, Messiah used a 5-1 run to take a 24-19 lead in the finale.

Three straight Messiah errors, including a block by Lavin and Sellitti, pulled the Cougars within 24-22, but an MU error provided the clinching point.