ANOTHER FIVE-SET COMEBACK WIN FOR AVILA VOLLEYBALL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second-straight match, Avila volleyball was on the brink of defeat at Mabee Fieldhouse in the fifth set and came back to grab the victory. Facing four match points against Tabor, Avila battled back to win the fifth set, 20-18 and secure the 3-2 match victory.

"I'm so incredibly proud of them," said Eagles head coach Marylyn Mozena. "It's tough to rally off four match points. That's having to get momentum, but then also having to play really clean, disciplined volleyball. It's huge and to do it two matches back-to-back, it's a testament to what we've been working on, how we've been preparing and to keep fighting and never giving up."

The first set was won by Avila thanks to an early 6-0 run and a game-high 15 first-set kills. The Eagles used their early lead to take the opening frame, 25-20.

Tabor then won two-straight sets (25-16 and 25-14) before Avila battled back in the fourth.

While dealing with late-season injuries and the grind of a long season, Avila has had to utilize its entire roster, something Mozena had confidence in:

"The biggest thing is our ability to rely on the whole team. If one person is struggling, we can make those subs and have people we can rely on. Our grit, our relentlessness and not giving up – that is something that we displayed tonight."

After falling behind 8-6 in the fourth set, Avila rattled off 10 of the next 12 points thanks to a huge set from Megan Davies. The freshman from Grain Valley, Mo., had six fourth-set kills to give Avila the 25-14 win.

Davies finished the night hitting a career-best .314.

"In most matches, we're an underdog and we are undersized," noted Mozena. "We have to be relentless and we have to be gritty and that's what they have shown the last two matches. That's something I pointed out to them tonight: not one time did I look on that court and think a single girl was like, 'Oh man, we lost.' The girls were there for each other, but they were also prioritizing themselves."

For the second-straight match, the fifth set is where Avila showed its mettle, they stuck together and came back to win.

Facing four Tabor set points, Davies had four more kills and served the final two points of the night, setting up a kill by Lexi Schimpa and a Tabor attack error to give the Eagles the 20-18 fifth set and the match, 3-2.

Schimpa totaled 44 assists and 19 digs to her night, while reigning KCAC Defensive Player of the Week Sophia Giorgio put up 24 digs and seven assists in the win.

One of the more emotional matches of Avila's season, Mozena and the Eagles never doubted their ability to win:

"Not for one minute today did I think we're down and out. I know what these girls have done in practice and what they've been working on. It's our time to see that breakthrough."

Avila hits the road for two road games next week: at Friends (Oct. 30) and at Bethel (Nov. 2).