The Briar Cliff women's volleyball team hosted No. 17 Midland on Friday evening inside the Newman Flanagan Center but came up short in a three-set battle (16-25, 9-25, 20-25).

The Chargers found their strongest rhythm in the third frame, pushing back after an early Midland run. Briar Cliff rallied behind kills from Aliyah Basham, Caton Firkins, and Emma Brenelli to pull within two at 15-17.  Aubrey Hoeft added key points at the net during the stretch, but the Warriors held on late to close out the match.

Basham paced the Chargers with 6 kills to go along with 4 block assists. Firkins added 4 kills and a block, while Brenelli chipped in 3 kills and 3 block assists.

Setter Reese Strouth directed the offense with 9 assists and added 4 digs, while Kylie Hart tallied 4 assists and 2 digs. Avery Beller anchored the back row with 9 digs, and Joana Neves and Isabelle Lenz were each able to contribute a service ace.

At the net, Briar Cliff totaled 18 block assists, highlighted by Hoeft's 5 and Voss's 4. 

The Chargers move to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in GPAC play. They return to action tomorrow night to face No. 2 Concordia. First serve is set for 5:00 p.m.