WORCESTER -- The WPI volleyball team rallied from an 0-2 deficit to force a fifth set, but visiting Worcester State outlasted the Engineers in a marathon 3-2 win on Thursday night at Harrington Auditorium. The Lancers finished out the 25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 18-25, 15-7 win to even their season mark to 4-4, while WPI dips to 2-5.
 
WPI's Catherine Reynolds (Concord, NH) recorded her second triple-double of the season, and third of her career with 11 kills, 29 assists, and 13 digs. Audrey Stroupe (Leesburg, VA) and Fiona Gillis (Manchester, NH) tied Reynolds with 11 kills each, while Olivia Deckers (Marlboro, MA) had 10 kills and five blocks. Victoria Escuer (Caracas, Venezuela) led WPI with 22 digs and Lily Eldridge (Danvers, MA) added 17 assists in the loss.
 
Angela Colonis (Waterford, CT) paced the Lancers with team highs of nine kills and 20 assists. Maeve Cadogan (Wilmington, MA) and Beatrice Gamboa-Estrella (Simi Valley, CA) each had eight kills with Cadogan adding three blocks and Gamboa-Estrella adding 10 digs. Camryn Burgio (Quincy, MA) led the defense with a match-best 24 digs, with Megan Bardis (Rutland, MA) adding three aces.
 
WPI had an early 7-4 edge in the first set, but Worcester State tied the set at 7-7. An 8-4 surge pushed the Lancers on top 15-11, but the Engineers rallied to tie at 15-all. After three more ties, including 18-18, Worcester State began to pull away, closing the set with a 5-1 run to win it 25-20.
 
After six early ties in the second, WPI surged ahead with a 6-0 run, going up 15-9. Worcester State cut the lead to 17-15 and later tied the frame at 21-21 with a 12-6 surge. Coming out of an Engineers timeout, the Lancers continued to roll and held a 24-23 advantage. WPI spoiled set point and the match was tied again at 25 and 26 before Worcester State won it 28-26 on back-to-back Engineers errors to go up 2-0.
 
Another tight set followed in the third. The Lancers went up three early, but the Engineers made it an 11-11 set on a Deckers solo block. With the frame tied at 16-16, WPI created separation, scoring nine of the next 13 points to grab a 25-20 win and close the match score to 2-1.
 
WPI tied the match at 2-2 with hitting at a .357 clip in the fourth set. Back-and-forth action defined the early points, with neither team leading by more than three. With the Lancers up 12-10, WPI took over the lead with a 5-1 surge. Worcester State cut the advantage to 18-16, but the Engineers rolled down the stretch, closing the frame on a 7-2 run to win it 25-18.
 
In the final frame, WPI scored the first two points, but WSU answered with a 7-1 run to go up 7-3. The Engineers rallied to close the gap to 7-6, but following a timeout, the Lancers rattled off an 8-1 surge to win the frame 15-7 and the match, 3-2.
 
The Engineers play again Saturday, hosting Eastern Connecticut State at noon. The Lancers play two on Saturday at Suffolk, battling Keene State at 1pm and the hosts at 3pm.