In a tough back-and-forth match, the Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers volleyball team lost a five-set battle to Paine College 3-2 Friday night in L.S. Epps Gymnasium.

The loss was the first for Clark Atlanta (4-8, 3-7 SIAC) since a Sept. 27 setback against Lane in the SIAC Crossover and drops the Lady Panthers to fourth place in the SIAC East, just behind Paine (8-3, 3-3 SIAC).

The Lady Panthers fell behind 9-2 early in the first set.  Paine scored nine of the last 11 points of the set to close it out 25-14.  CAU bounced back in the second set, Kia Thomas' two kills culminated a late 5-0 run that broke open a close set that the Lady Panthers won 25-21 to even the match.

CAU nearly erased a late deficit in the third set with five consecutive points to pull to within one at 24-23.  But Paine's Shavonne Boggs got a kill that gave the third set to Paine 25-23. 

The Lady Panthers then staved off defeat in the fourth set when they scored seven of the last eight points of a back-and-forth set to win it 25-17.

But in the fifth and deciding set, Paine streaked out to a 6-0 lead and then scored the set's last five points to win the set 15-6 and the match 3-2.

Thomas finished with nine kills, four aces, four blocks and a dig for CAU, while Taylor Prude had a team-leading 12 kills, along with two aces and ten digs for the Lady Panthers.  Ashley Elmore finished with nine kills, seven digs and four aces, while Lauryn Terry finished with five kills and nine digs.  Chara Robbins had 27 assists and five digs and TiAna Crider had 12 digs to lead CAU in that category.

Paine was led by Kennedy Curtis who had 16 kills.

The Lady Panthers are back on the floor at L.S. Epps Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. when they host Savannah State.