Cedarville, Ohio- The University of Findlay volleyball team continued its four-match road stretch on Saturday, Oct. 4, with a matchup against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets. The Oilers, riding an eight-match win streak, came up short in a tightly contested five-set battle, falling 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12). The loss is Findlay's first since early September, when they were defeated by then-no. 10 Tampa, now ranked no. 2 nationally. With the setback, the no. 21 Oilers move to 10-2 overall and 4-1 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play, while Cedarville improves to 11-2 on the season and remains unbeaten in league action at 5-0.

Findlay got off to a strong start in the opening set, building a 10-5 advantage and extending it to 14-8. Cedarville battled back to narrow the gap to 18-17, but the Oilers responded with a four-point run to close out the set, 25-19.

The second set was back-and-forth until the Oilers put together a five-point run to take a 17-14 lead. Cedarville answered with a similar run, taking a 24-20 lead and forcing set point. Findlay fended off three set points before finally taking a 25-24 lead and earning their own set point. However, the Yellow Jackets closed out the set with three consecutive points, including two UF errors, to take the 27-25 win.

In the third set, the Oilers showcased their national ranking, hitting .405 while limiting the Yellow Jackets to just .056. Findlay cruised to a 25-16 set win, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

Cedarville won the fourth set, setting up a decisive fifth set. The Yellow Jackets carried their momentum into the final set, holding an 8-6 lead at the side switch. Findlay managed to even the score at 8 but remained just behind. A late kill and ace by Cedarville closed out the set, handing the Oilers a 3-2 loss.

Findlay finished the match hitting .234, totaling 73 kills on 188 attempts with 29 errors. Cedarville hit .205, recording 56 kills on 166 attempts with 22 errors. The key difference in the match was Cedarville's blocking, as they posted a season-high 19 total blocks.

Leading Findlay was senior Makenna Belcher who recorded 26 kills while hitting .262. She also recorded a team-high 18 digs. 

Junior Hannah Miller and senior Alana Pohlman each reached double-digit kills, finishing with 18 and 12 respectively. Pohlman hit an impressive .385 and added three blocks, while Miller contributed 13 digs and four blocks.

Junior Kirsten Bomholt and senior Emma White each tallied 15 digs, while White continued to lead the Oilers' offense with 56 assists.

Findlay will continue its road stretch with a matchup at Hillsdale College on Thursday, Oct. 10. First serve is set for 7pm.