WAUKESHA, Wis. - It had all the intense turns of an unpredictable rollercoaster ride and concluded with a nail-biting finish.
That was an appropriate way to describe the experience as the Carroll University women's volleyball team lost to Benedictine University 15-25, 25-20, 21-25, 29-27, 15-13 in a dramatic, five-set nonconference dual meet at Van Male Field House on Wednesday night.
It was a spirited home opener for Carroll, which lost its second consecutive five-set dual and dropped to 1-4 overall.
Trailing by three points in the decisive fifth game, the Pioneers answered with back-to-back kills by junior middle blocker Karley Wolf (Roselle, Ill.) to trim the deficit to 14-13.
The momentum was short lived and quickly vanished as Benedictine freshman outside hitter Molly Stocks abruptly delivered a hard hit spike on the right side to end the marathon.
Despite the heart-breaking final outcome, Carroll head coach Becca Saal emphasized that the inspired, energized performance had many positives that will only help in the team's progression.
"We continue to learn from each experience on the court and took another important step forward with this match," said Saal, whose roster includes 13 underclassmen and only one senior. "As was the case last year, we are still relatively young and working hard to consistently improve each day. Being only our fifth dual of the season, there were a lot of positives to build upon. After giving so much out there in the home opener, it hurts that it didn't work out in our favor at the end but should provide a lot of motivation in the days to come."
Wolf contributed a team-high 13 kills to lead Carroll, which registered 10 service aces and 56 assists in the fast-paced showdown.
Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Wilkins (Portage, Ind.) followed with 12 kills, two service aces, three blocks and 22 digs for the Pioneers, who committed 21 errors. Senior outside hitter Dana Voltolina  (St. Charles, Ill.) had 11 kills and two blocks.
Freshman middle blocker Melanie Barrios (Bolingbrook, Ill.) collected eight kills and six blocks with sophomore setter Emma Przeslicke (Evergreen Park, Ill.) adding 28 assists and 12 digs. 
Freshman outside hitter Sam Penzkowski (Racine, Wis.) had five kills, three aces, 10 digs and a block for Carroll, which won two of the first three sets but couldn't close out the match.
Junior outside hitter Josie Wierzal (Frankfort, Ill.) also had five kills while sophomore middle blocker Erika Dunnam (Shawano, Wis.) contributed four kills. Junior defensive specialist Amanda Hahn (Itasca, Ill.) had three aces, six assists and 18 digs. Sophomore setter Jennilyn Joy Cave (Bolingbrook, Ill.) added 20 assists.
Stock had a team-best 13 kills to pace Benedictine, which earned its first victory of the season to improve to 1-4 overall.