MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan volleyball team fell to Ashland, 3-2, in a back-and-forth match at Vandament Arena Saturday afternoon in front of 250 fans.

After winning the first set, 25-22, the Wildcats dropped the next two by 27-25 and 25-16 margins. They rallied to force a decisive fifth set by posting a 25-16 victory in the fourth set but ultimately fell in that fifth set, 15-12.

"Ashland's a good team, and I thought our players fought every point along the way," head coach Dominic Yoder said. "They left their hearts on the court today. That's all I can ask for as a coach."

The teams traded points in the first set until the Wildcats built a 22-16 lead with Lisa Studnicka serving. In that run, Studnicka tallied back-to-back service aces as well as a kill. Ashland would never pull within one again.

The Eagles carried the momentum from their tight second-set victory into the third set, running out to an 11-1 lead. While the Wildcats would claw back, they could never draw closer than seven.

Northern Michigan rebounded in the fourth set. With the teams knotted at 12 apiece, they won six-straight points to build an 18-12 lead. In that run, Bridget Bussell recorded five kills. Overall in the fourth set, the Wildcats posted a .425 hitting percentage.

In the fifth set, the Wildcats built a 7-4 lead, but the Eagles regrouped to tie things up and pulled away late for a 15-12 win.

Studnicka (17), Bussell (13) and Madison Whitehead (11) reached the double digits in kills. Bussell's .524 hitting percentage was also the best by any player.

Defensively, four Wildcats reached the double digits in digs: Alex Berger (18), Studnicka (15), Megan Dahl (15) and Jami Hogeboom (10). Hogeboom also reached the 40-assist mark for the second-straight match, totaling 41.

With the loss Northern Michigan falls to 10-3 (2-2 GLIAC). The Wildcats return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they take on rival Michigan Tech at Vandament Arena.