VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Big Red volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker to Wright State this morning at the Crusader Classic, falling 3-2 (11-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-17, 10-15). Cornell (4-5) is back in action this evening when it takes on Western Illinois at 5:30 p.m.
 
Jenna Phelps was outstanding for the Big Red, posting a team-high 14 kills and just one error on 29 attempts for a blistering .448 hitting percentage. The junior middle blocker also posted seven total blocks (six assisted, one solo). Lauren Stubbs and Samanta Arenas finished with 11 kills apiece.
 
Stubbs also chipped in 13 digs, one of three Big Red to post double-digit digs, led by Lily Barber's 27 and Katie Randolph's 17. Randolph and Zoe Chamness finished with 21 and 19 assists, respectively
 
Wright State (8-3) was led by Alannah Lemming and Celia Powers, who tallied 14 kills apiece, while Teddie Sauer finished with 11.
 
For the match, the Big Red had more kills (55-52) and digs (87-81), but he Raiders had a slight advantage in hitting percentage (.164-.132), particularly during the crucial first and fifth sets.
 
Wright State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in a 25-11 victory.
 
The second set was the complete opposite as the teams battled through 19 ties and seven lead changes before the Big Red registered the finale two points on kills from Jillienne Bennett and Arenas to win, 26-24.
 
The third set was nearly as dramatic with neither team able to pull away. WSU eventually built a 14-10 lead, the largest by either team, but the Big Red responded with four unanswered to knot the set at 14-14. From there the teams stayed within one point of each other until a kill from Powers put the Raiders up by two (22-20) and WSU was able to hold on for the 25-23 victory.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth set until a block from Phelps sparked a 6-0 run that handed Cornell a 19-13 lead it would not relinquish en route to the 25-17 victory. In addition to the block, Phelps added three kills during the run.  
 
The match ended the same way it had begun, as Wright State jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never trailed as it took the 15-10 victory.