WORCESTER -- The WPI volleyball team rallied from an 0-2 deficit to take a five-set thriller over Salve Regina, 3-2, in Harrington Auditorium on Tuesday night. The Engineers used set scores of 20-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 18-16 to take a tight NEWMAC match and move to 5-10 overall, 2-3 in conference play. The Seahawks dip to 10-7, 0-5 on the season.
 
After falling in two tight sets to open the match, battled back to force a fifth set. In the final frame, the Engineers staved off two match points for Salve Regina rallying to tie the frame and eventually win it 18-16.
 
It was another triple-double for Catherine Reynolds (Concord, NH), with the senior tallying the fourth of the season and fifth of her career with a 12-kill, 15-dig, 30-assist performance tonight. Olivia Deckers (Marlboro, MA) led the Engineers with 17 kills, hitting .324, while Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) had 14 kills, seven digs, and four blocks. Zeala VanDamme (San Diego, CA) chipped in 12 kills and three blocks, while Emily Hudson (Melrose, MA) notched four blocks. Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) led all players with 27 digs as Alana Harris (Lowell, MA) added 12.
 
Salve Regina saw a game-high 25 kills from Brighton Solheim (Phoenix, AZ) who was solid all around the court, adding 13 digs and seven blocks in the loss. Lydia Daskalos (Nashua, NH) recorded 10 kills on the night, while Siena DeCicco (Severna Park, Md.) doubled up with 40 assists and 22 digs. Sydney Ramsey (Garden City, NY) added eight kills and four blocks with Kate Murphy (Dover, NH) contributing six kills and 15 digs. Lily Dobbins (Richmond, KY) rounded out the box score with 15 digs.
 
Salve Regina got off to a hot start in the first set, scoring the first five points and opening up a 10-4 advantage. WPI then battled back with a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the frame at 13-12. Three more ties followed until the Seahawks broke a 17-17 stalemate to go up by two at 21-19. WPI got no closer the rest of the way with Ramsey providing the final kill to give Salve the 25-20 win.
 
Set two was tight from the onset, with the teams splitting the first 16 points to roll to a 8-8 tie. Salve Regina crept ahead slowly building a six-point lead at 19-13. Trailing 23-15, WPI had one last run, closing the gap to 24-20, but a Murphy kill ended the frame on the next point, putting the Seahawks up 2-0.
 
From there, WPI began its comeback. The Engineers got on the board with a win in the third, opening the frame with a 5-2 advantage. After the Crimson and Gray pushed it to 10-5, Salve Regina responded with a 7-3 surge to tie the set at 13-13. WPI bounced back with five-straight points to go up 18-13, and kept the lead above three the rest of the way, rolling to a 25-20 win.
 
Tight play starred early in the fourth set, with neither team gaining a large early advantage. Knotted at 8-8 and again at 14-14, the Seahawks grabbed four of the next six points to go up by two at 18-16. Again WPI responded, using a 5-2 surge to take a 21-20 lead. Salve Regina rallied, tying the frame at 23-23, but WPI extended the match with kills from Deckers and Reynolds to win it 25-23.
 
In the fifth, Salve Regina had the early edge, but the frame was tied 10 times early with neither team leading by more than two. Tied 11-11, the Seahawks scored three of the next four to set up match point at 14-12 but WPI spoiled a pair, as a 3-0 run made it 15-14. Salve played the spoiler for WPI this time, fighting off sets point at 15-14 and 16-15, but after a 16-16 tie, the Engineers got an Audrey Stroupe (Leesburg, VA) kill and a huge block from Eldridge and Hudson to win the set and match.
 
Both teams continue their seasons on Friday night. WPI plays at Babson at 6pm in another NEWMAC match-up and Salve Regina heads to Wentworth for a 7pm non-conference game.