MORAGA, Calif. – The Cornell women's volleyball team (2-2) fell to Saint Mary's in a five set heartbreaker, 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 15-9), in the opening game of the Bay Area Invitational Friday at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

The team was led in the loss by Samanta Arenas, who registered a team-high 13 kills and to go along with 26 digs, two blocks, and a service ace. Joanna Chang also had a solid night from all areas of the floor, tallying 11 kills, 17 digs, four blocks (one solo), and two service aces.

Avery Hanan (8), Jillienne Bennett (7), Jada Stackhouse (7), and Jenna Phelps (7) rounded out the Big Red attack, each collecting her fair share of kills. The trio of Stackhouse, Bennett, and Phelps was even more impressive at the net, tallying seven, four, and four block assists, respectively. Stackhouse also added a solo block.

Led by Hanan, the Big Red got off to a fast start in set one, scoring six of the first seven points to jump out to a 6-1 lead. Hanan came out swinging, notching three early kills in Cornell's opening run. The Gaels began to settle in, but Cornell was able to stay poised, holding a 10-6 lead after kills from Madison Baptiste, Bennett, and Chang.

The Gaels would respond with a run of their own, however, scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 14-12 lead and force a Cornell timeout. The rest of set one belonged to the Gaels, who scored the next three points out of the timeout and used this momentum to win the set, 25-17.

The Big Red had a short memory, scoring the first point of the second set on a block from Chang and Phelps. Just two points later, Chang found herself at the net again, this time recording a solo block to give Cornell an early 2-1 advantage. She would build on the Big Red lead with a service ace on the very next play, putting Cornell up, 3-1.

Chang helped Cornell find their rhythm in set two, and after a bit of back-and-forth action, the Big Red scored five straight points to take a 10-6 lead. Arenas came up big during this run, recording two kills and a service ace.

The Gaels would not go away, however, and with the score at 13-9 in favor of Cornell, Saint Mary's would score five of the next six points to tie the game up at 14-14. The set continued to be a barn burner, but Arenas knew exactly what she needed to do, recording two clutch kills in the final five points to give Cornell some breathing room. Capped off with a Bennett and Stackhouse block, the Big Red would take set two, 25-22.

Arenas continued to lead the Big Red in the third set, notching three early kills to give Cornell a 5-3 lead. Cornell quickly found themselves in another back-and-forth set, featuring seven ties and four lead changes over the middle part of set three. With the Big Red holding a slim, 13-12 advantage, Cornell found some separation, scoring five of the next six points to go up 17-13 and force a St. Mary's timeout.

From this point on, the Big Red didn't look back, with kills from Chang, Hanan, and Emma Worthington and a service ace from Zoe Chamness extending the Big Red lead to 21-15. The Gaels would fight back, coming within two points and bringing the score to 24-22, but the Big Red would go on to win set three, 25-22.

Cornell carried their momentum from set three into the beginning of set four, scoring the first three points of the set on a Phelps kill, St. Mary's attack error, and a Phelps and Hanan block. After a few back-and-forth points, it appeared as if the Big Red was dominating, scoring seven straight points to take a 12-6 lead.

However, with the Cornell lead extended to as much as 15-6, the Gaels fought back, cutting the Big Red's advantage to 15-12 after six straight points. The Gaels fight continued, and Cornell quickly found themselves tied with Saint Mary's, 19-19. The rest of set four was an all-out battle, and despite an Arenas kill and a Stackhouse and Arenas block putting the Big Red back on top, the Gaels once again rallied and took set four, 26-24.

The Big Red couldn't hold off the Gaels in set five, facing an early 7-3 deficit. Out of a Cornell timeout, hope was restored when the Big Red scored three straight points on two kills from Chang and one from Stackhouse, cutting the deficit to 7-6. The Gaels once again responded, pushing the advantage to 10-6. Cornell could not recover, losing the set 15-9 and the game 3-2.

Cornell will have to bounce back quickly, as they take on Utah State tomorrow at 2 p.m. EDT in their next game of the Bay Area Invitational in Moraga, Calif.