WORCESTER, Mass. --  A largely inexperienced Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team had two chances to defeat WPI for the eighth time in the nine-match series, but couldn't capitalize on either in dropping the final two sets by four points each in a five-set decision Saturday afternoon at Harrington Auditorium. Eastern lost by scores of 25-17, 13-25, 25-23, 21-25, 11-15 to even its record this year in five-set matches at 1-1.

WPI (3-5) had lost its previous three and was 0-2 at home this year but came away with its second five-set victory in the last five years over Eastern (5-3), playing the third of five straight matches away from Geissler Gymnasium.

Sophomore hitter Taylor Thompson (West Point, NY) led the Warriors with 13 kills, while first-year hitter Brooke Praskievicz (Moodus) notched a double-double with 12 kills and 19 digs. First-year middle Haley Jo Bridges (Montebello, NY) chipped in with nine kills and six digs, while sophomore setter Liz Squier (Trevor, WI) led the squad with 20 assists, adding 11 digs for a double-double. Junior libero Cassie Parmelee (East Berlin) tied for team-high honors with 19 digs and senior hitter Stacie Kinlen (Thornwood, NY) added 11.

After attacking at .296 in an eight-point opening win, the Warriors attacked at under .200 in each of the last four sets, including .000 (7 kills, 7 errors) in the second-set loss, and  .042 (6 kills, 5 errors) in the fifth set loss.

WPI was led by a 13-kill performance from six-foot junior Emily Hudson, who hit .400 in the match with three blocks. Graduate setter Catherine Reynolds and senior hitter Olivia Deckers each contributed double-doubles in the winning effort, with Reynolds putting up 12 kills and 11 digs, and Deckers adding 11 kills and 13 digs. Junior setter Lily Eldridge smashed her career high by dishing out 45 assists while adding seven digs.

Sophomore back row Victoria Escuer led all players with 21 digs, while senior back row Jia Yazon  had three aces and six-foot freshman middle Zeala VanDamme had five blocks.

In the decisive fifth, WPI jumped out to a 4-1 advantage, but Eastern won six of the next nine to tie it at 7-7. The visitors used a 3-1 run to take their first lead of the set on an ace at 10-8, but WPI scored back-to-back points to make it 10-10. From there, the Engineers took over, closing out the set and match with a 5-1 run to win it 15-11, and 3-2.

After pulling out a two-point win in the third set that pushed the Warriors to within a win of the match victory, Eastern led only briefly (and by only a point each time) in the fourth set. WPI scored three straight points to move out to a four-point, 16-12 lead, and never trailed thereafter. Junior outside Bella Johnson (Marlborough) had a kill to cut WPI's lead to 23-21, but sophomore opposite Audrey Stroupe countered with her own kill for WPI to set up set point, and an Eastern attack error closed out WPI's win and allowed the Engineers to tie the match at 2-all.

The Warriors' offense cruised in the first set, hitting .296 to WPI's .067. Still, the early action was tight, with the teams splitting the first 14 points for a 7-7 tie. ECSU created some separation with an 8-2 run to go up 15-9. That six point deficit was as close as the Engineers would come the rest of the way, as the visitors won set one, 25-17.

The script was reversed in the second frame, as WPI tied it up with a .286 offensive performance, holding the Warriors to a .000 clip. The Engineers nabbed the first two points of the set but the action settled at a 7-7 tie. From there, WPI rattled off a 7-1 run to break it open, going up 14-8. After ECSU closed the gap to five, the Crimson and Gray rolled down the stretch, closing out a 25-13 win that tied the match at 2-2.

In the third, Eastern had an early advantage in the tight frame, leading by four at 10-6. WPI used a 6-2 surge to tie the frame at 12 and continued the hot-hitting with four more unanswered points to lead 16-12. The Engineers kept the lead until a 5-2 run from the Warriors tied the match at 19-19. Six points later at a 22-22 tie, ECSU made one more push, closing the frame on a 3-1 run, winning it on a service error, 25-23 to go up 2-1.

Another tight set followed, but WPI forced a fifth set with a 25-21 win. Tied at 8-8, WPI inched ahead with a Deckers kill to end a short run that made it 12-9. After Eastern cut it to a one-point lead, the hosts surged again, winning seven of the next nine to make it 19-13. The Warriors whittled the WPI lead down to 22-20 late in the frame, but the Engineers pulled out the 25-23 win to tie the set at 2-2.

Eastern visits  Western New England University Tuesday at 7 p.m. before opening its Little East Conference season Saturday at the University of Southern Maine at noon, with a non-conference match against Fitchburg State University to follow at 2 p.m. Saturday.

WPI Sports Information contributed to this game account