The Lady Statesmen (3-2) fell by scores of 25-20, 25-27, 24-26, 25-22, 13-15.

Despite falling behind big in the final set, eventually by as much as five at 11-6, Penn battled back to get within one at 14-13 before giving up the final point. The squad will look for revenge later this fall as the two programs meet at the Clarke Tournament in Dubuque on October 1.

Emily Stanton (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) was the lone Lady Statesmen in double figures with ten kills, while Paige Echimovich (Fr., O'Fallon, Mo., Fort Zumwalt West HS) and Brittany Rohling (Jr., Thayer, Kan., Neosho CC) recorded seven kills each.

Kristen Jensen (Jr., Lansing, Kan., Neosho CC) tallied 18 assists and Krista Pettit (Sr., Grundy Center, Grundy Center HS) added 16 in the two-setter rotation.

Caitlin Hadden (Sr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) posted 33 digs and Stanton contributed another 20, while the defense also posted 12 total blocks, led by five from Rohling (one solo, four assists).

Hadden also hit her marks at the service line with a squad-best two aces.

"We came out very strong but had some questionable calls go against us and we unfortunately did not recover from that," Lady Statesmen Head Coach Jeremy Wise said. "I know we are stronger than what our record shows. We are still learning to play together and we will bounce back."

Next: Penn travels to Milwaukee, Wis. Friday and Saturday to compete in the Cardinal Stritch Tournament. On Friday, the Lady Statesmen face Davenport (Mich.) at 1 p.m. and host Cardinal Stritch at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Penn meets St. Francis (Ind.) at 10 a.m. and Huntington (Ind.) at 3 p.m.