GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. ---- The University of St. Francis women's volleyball team played NAIA No.21 ranked Cornerstone University (Mich.) tough, but had nothing to show for it in a 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 setback on Saturday afternoon to conclude the regular season.
 

The Saints (13-12) actually opened up 13-8 leads in both the first and second sets, but could not maintain the advantage. Cornerstone (21-3) used a 10-2 rally in Set 1 to switch the score around, going up 18-15. USF followed with its own 7-2 outburst to regain the lead at 22-20 only to commit three attacking errors down the stretch as part of a final 5-0 closing run by the hosts.
 

In Set 2, after trailing by five points early, Cornerstone forced a tie at 17 and St. Francis did the same at 19 before the Golden Eagles issued a closing 6-2 outburst with four kills.
 

Five late kills in Set 3 as part of a 6-3 final run closed out the match for Cornerstone, which again overcame an early deficit (7-4) to win the set. An unanswered 8-0 burst resulted in a 12-7 lead before St. Francis forced ties at 16 and 19.
 

Peyton Baird (SO/Mendota, Ill.) led St. Francis with eight kills, while Desiree Anderson (FR/Joliet, Ill.), and Taylor Valant (SR/St. Anne, Ill.) each contributed six. Hannah Pacheco (SO/Lockport, Ill.) (16 assists) and Alexis Engst (SO/Bloomington, Ill.) (14) combined for 30 assists.
 

Anderson and Pacheco also provided 11 digs each.
 

The Saints also totaled eight aces on the afternoon with Valant, Lauren Stefanski (SR/Plainfield, Ill.) and Hannah Monfre (SO/Franklin, Wis.) each recording two. Stefanski led the team with one solo and four assist blocks, as well.
 

The Saints open Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament play on Tuesday (April 6) at 7 pm as the No.8 seed. They will have the first crack at knocking off top-seeded Olivet Nazarene, a team USF took to five sets earlier this year.