Box Score MONMOUTH, Ill. – The Grinnell College volleyball team look Monmouth College to the limit Friday night, but the Pioneers just missed their first victory of the season as they lost a five-set thriller to the Fighting Scots to open Midwest Conference play.

Monmouth won by scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-18, 20-25 and 15-13. The Fighting Scots are now 6-9 overall, while the Pioneers fell to 0-17.

Claire Weidman '15 and Natalie Duncombe '15 had 17 and 13 kills, respectively, for Grinnell, while Lindsay Fujimoto '15 had 24 assists and Jeanette Au '16 added 17. Sydney McClendon '16 came up with three ace serves and also tallied 38 digs. Weidman contributed 20 digs and Monica Knaack '17 had 13.

Duncombe had six blocks and Liz Nelson '17 added five.

The first set was tied at 8-all before Monmouth scored five straight points to pull away for the win. Grinnell returned the favor in the second set, turning a 7-all tie into an 11-7 lead with a four-point run. McClendon had an ace during the run, while Olivia Fromm '17 and Evelyn Weidman '17 had kills. The Pioneers never trailed after that.

After losing the third set, Grinnell came back in the fourth. With the score tied 16-all, the visitors went on a 6-1 run as Claire Weidman, Fromm and Ariel Lepito '17 had kills. Monmouth got as close as 22-19 before the Pioneers took off for the victory.

Grinnell got out to a 5-2 lead in the third set before the Fighting Scots rallied. There were multiple ties after that, the last at 13-all on Claire Weidman's kill, before the hosts scored the last two points to secure the win.

Grinnell plays three matches Saturday, starting with a MWC contest against Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., at 11 a.m. On Saturday night, the Pioneers take on Waldorf College and William Penn University in non-conference play at Oskaloosa.