DAVIE, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team won the opening two sets, but let the momentum slip away in a 15-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13 loss to North Alabama Friday in the South Region Crossover at Nova Southeastern.
Barry (10-10) will try to salvage the weekend with a win over West Alabama at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second region match against the Alabama schools.
The Buccaneers trailed 17-9 in the fourth when Alicia Guerrero put away a kill and then served up six straight points to bring Barry within a point. The Bucs went ahead 19-18 on Mima Hajdukovic's kill on a setup from Mariana Lisboa.
North Alabama later crept back ahead 23-20 on Taylor Chapman's kill in a set that proved to be series of runs. Kills by Jayla Trombley and Tania Torres kept the Buccaneers alive, down 24-22. But Priscilla Massengale's kill sent the match to a fifth set as the Buccaneers dropped the second straight set.
Barry took a 10-7 lead in the fifth set when Lisboa put away her second straight kill. But North Alabama tied the match at 11-11 on Hope Rayburn's kill. Hajdukovic managed to keep the score tied at 12-12 with a kill of her own, but North Alabama never let the Bucs seize control the rest of the way.
It marked the second straight fifth-set loss for the Bucs, which had won their first three marathon-match encounters this year.
Torres had 20 kills and four blocks. Hajdukovic had 10 kills, 40 assists, two aces and two blocks and eight digs. Cielena had 10 kills and three blocks.
Jasmine Serna had 29 digs for the Buccaneers.
Barry hit .204, while North Alabama had a .154 attack percentage. The Bucs hit .346 in the first set, while the Lions were held to .000 after committing nine errors and putting away nine balls for winners. Barry had an 86 percent sideout clip, converting 13 of 15 change of serve opportunities in the first set -- a dominating beginning to the match.
The Buccaneers outblocked the Lions, 7-3, with Torres stuffing North Alabama's hitters on two solo attempts, and Cielena delivering one on her own.
Cielena hit .529.