GRINNELL, Iowa – Playing in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, the Grinnell College volleyball team gave the home fans a show Friday night.
 
The Pioneers engaged in a five-set, two-hour marathon with Beloit College before falling 22-25, 25-19, 14-25, 25-22 and 19-17 in a Senior Night affair at Darby Gymnasium.
 
Kaylin Kuhn '21 pounded a career-high 26 kills and hit .274 for the Pioneers, who are 11-6 overall and 1-3 in the league. Olivia Jensen '21 added 11 kills and Margaret Giles '18 tallied 43 assists.
 
Deanna Taylor '18 served up a career-best four aces and also led the team in digs with 32. Others in double-digit digs were Madison Smith '20 with 23, Kuhn with 16, Sydney Vrecenar '18 with 15 and Giles with 14. Smith's total was a career-high.
 
Grinnell used a 7-2 run to break a 9-all tie in the first set, as Kuhn had three kills in that span. Beloit kept things interesting and was within 24-22 when an attack error by the visitors sealed the win for the Pioneers.
 
Beloit pulled away late to win the second set and Grinnell dominated the third, thanks in part to an 8-2 run that turned a two-point lead into a 20-14 edge. Vrecenar had two kills in that time and Taylor an ace.
 
After the visitors took the fourth set, Grinnell scored four straight to start the fifth with kills by Kuhn and Jensen and an ace by Vrecenar sparking the run.
 
But Beloit rallied and was ahead 12-10 when the Pioneers reeled off three straight points, two coming on kills by Jensen and Kuhn, for a 13-12 lead.
 
The teams were tied four more times before the Pioneers went up 17-16 on Taylor's ace. However, the Buccaneers scored three in a row to secure the victory and improve to 6-11 overall and 1-1 in the MWC.
 
The Pioneers entertain Lake Forest College Saturday. Action at Darby Gymnasium begins at 1 p.m.