ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. -  Down two sets to the Flagler Saints, the Lander Bearcats fought back and forced a fifth set, but were unable to complete the comeback.

With the loss, Lander drops to 7-4 overall and 0-1 in the PBC while Flagler moves to 6-3 and 1-0 in the PBC.

Christina Aguayo had a double-double with 16 kills and 15 digs. Madilyn Reed had 34 assists and 11 digs. Reed and Miranda Hardin led the way with three aces each.

Lander hit .160 as a team while Flagler hit .280

The Bearcats struggled early on against the Saints, falling 25-11 and 25-18 in the first two sets.

The third set saw the Bearcats take an early lead after a six-point run to lead 8-3. The two sides would battle, with Flagler getting closer as the set progresses. After seeing Flagler use a 6-1 run to go up 23-22, the Bearcats would close the set out on a 3-1 run to take the third set 26-24.

Lander would once again use a hot start to take an early lead, with the Blue and Gold scoring the first five points in the fourth set. Flagler used a pair of streaks to get back into the contest, at one going 6-0 to take a temporary 14-10 advantage. It would be a fight to the finish, with the Bearcats winning 25-23 to tie the match 2-2.

The two sides would trade points to begin the fifth set with the score tied at 4-4. The Bearcats would take a 5-4 lead off a kill from Maya Walker, but Flagler responded with a 6-1 run that featured two aces, two attack errors and a bad set to go up 10-6. Lander would get within two of Flagler with the score 12-10, but the Saints pushed ahead to win 15-11 to take the final set.

Lander returns to Horne Arena to host USC Aiken for a 6 pm start.

#cLawsUp | @LanderVBALL