A furious Colorado College comeback came up short on Saturday evening as CC fell to Pacific University in five sets, 25-15, 27-25, 23-25, 18-25, 15-11 in Forest Grove, Ore.
 
The 17th-ranked Tigers struggled to get on the right foot early in the match, hitting a set-low -.062 attack percentage on a meager seven kills with nine errors on 32 attempts. The Boxers easily won the first set while hitting a .367 with 14 kills and three errors in 30 attempts.
 
Down 22-15 late in the second set, CC capitalized on an attack error by Alexa Block to spark a 9-2 run and tie the set at 24-24. Block hit a kill to give Pacific a one-point edge, but Courtney Birkett tied the set with a kill of her own. The Tigers were unable to take the set as the Boxers advanced on a pair of kills.
 
The third set was tied at 3-3, but CC benefited from five Pacific errors and a service ace by Julie Lawton to take a 9-4 advantage.
 
The Boxers were able to tie the set at 18-18, but the Tigers were able to hold strong and win the set 25-23.
 
With CC down 11-9 in the fourth set, Devon Lucero dished an assist to Birkett for a kill to help ignite a 7-1 run and take a 16-12 lead. The Boxers came within a point at 17-16, but the Tigers wouldn't budge extending their lead en route to a 25-18 victory to tie the match at two sets apiece.   
 
CC was unable to complete the comeback as the final set was controlled by Pacific, who hit its second highest hitting percentage of the match on a .345 attack percentage.
 
The Tigers were led offensively by freshmen duo Emily Phillips and Birkett with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Lucero organized the offense with a team-high 43 assists.
 
Defensively, CC was led by senior Laura Goldsmith and Phillips with 14 and 13 digs, respectively.
 
Colorado College dropped to 12-5 on the season as it continues play on the road in a neutral match against the No. 10 University of Puget Sound Loggers on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the campus of Lewis and Clark College in Portland , Ore.