WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson volleyball team dropped a five-set decision to visiting Thiel College Saturday morning in a Presidents' Athletic Conference match at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. 

The loss drops the Presidents to 10-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The win keeps the Tomcats unbeaten at 6-0 in league play and 15-8 overall. 

Thiel 3, W&J 2 (22-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 12-15)

Both teams put together strong offensive performances. W&J finished with 63 kills and hit .236 while Thiel racked up 70 kills and compiled a .238 hitting percentage. 

The Tomcats pulled out a 25-22 victory in the opening set before W&J responded with a 25-19 win in the second set. The teams traded the next two sets with Thiel winning the third by a 25-18 score and W&J forcing a decisive fifth set with a narrow 25-23 win in the fourth set.

Thiel opened with three of the first four points in the fifth set to take an early lead. The two teams exchanged points from there. Back-to-back kills by freshman Faith Fetsko (South Park, Pa./South Park) evened the score at 6-6. A kill by senior Claire Sauerland (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) gave W&J its first and only lead of the fifth set at 9-8. A few points later, two more kills by Sauerland tied the score at 11-11. Thiel put the match away with four of the final five points, which included a service ace by Danielle Aulet that clinched the match. 

Fetsko finished with a team-high 20 kills and 20 digs in the loss. Junior middle hitter Lizzie Carmichael (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) finished with 14 kills and amassed a .343 hitting percentage. Sauerland finished with 15 kills and sophomore Jaden Blough (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale) reached double figures with 11 kills. 

Sophomore setter Adrianna Sacramento (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) accumulated a career-high 56 assists. Freshman libero Piper McFarland (West Mifflin, Pa./Cornerstone Prepatory Academy) tallied 24 digs to pace the Presidents defensive efforts. 

W&J hosts Waynesburg for a conference match on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m.