Sylvania, Ohio (January 26, 2019) – For the second time in three matches to start the 2019 men's volleyball season, the Webber International University Warriors fell in five sets, dropping another close one by only two points. Webber fell to Robert Morris University (Ill.) 3-2 (25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 26-28, 15-13) on Saturday morning in its final match of the Gray Wolf Classic.

Webber (0-3) had previously fell by two points in a fifth set the morning before (Jan. 25) against Lawrence Tech (Mich.).

In the fifth set against the Eagles on Saturday, Webber led 9-6 before five straight points by Robert Morris made it an 11-9 Eagles' advantage. The two teams then traded the final eight points of the match as a kill by Zachary Ayala made it 14-13 Eagles, but a kill by Robert Morris on the next point ended the match.

Earlier in the match, Webber won the third set on back-to-back kills by Luke Taffer; and then in the fourth set, the Warriors held big leads of 11-6, 15-8, 18-9 and 19-14 before the Eagles stormed back with a 5-0 run to make it a one-point margin at 20-19 Webber.

A kill by Ayala made it 24-24 in the fourth set, stopping Robert Morris' match-point attempt, and then Webber battled back to tie it two more times before a kill by Liam Gilchrist and an ace by Christian Alvarez-Rivero gave Webber the set win to tie it up at two sets apiece.

First-year Head Coach Eric Praetorius said, "We really didn't have it early and the chemistry on the court wasn't great. Then, we really put that behind us and turned it on. It ended up being a great match and we took them to five and just needed to close."

Gilchrist led the Warriors with 13 kills followed by Ayala with 11, and Taffer added a very impressive six aces while Pedro Lepever recorded four blocks. Additionally, Tim Rouch Jr. led the Warriors in assists for the second match in a row with 23, and was followed by Kyle Robertson with 15.

Next up, Webber will head to Mount Vernon, Georgia, and Brewton-Parker College for two neutral matches, which will also be its first two ever Mid-South Conference matches. The Warriors will battle Cincinnati Christian University at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 8, followed by Bluefield College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 9.