COLUMBUS – The Capital University volleyball team won the first two sets Wednesday but were unable to close out the match, falling 23-25, 14-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-5 against Denison in a non-conference contest at the Capital Center.

The Crusaders (2-3 overall) won the first set and dominated the second, winning five of the last seven points in the frame to take a two-set lead.

The Big Red (3-2) took a commanding 13-3 advantage to start the third and maintained their lead to force a fourth set. Capital jumped out to a 4-0 lead riding the serve of sophomore Becca DeWitt (Springfield, Ohio), but Denison quickly leveled the match at 5-5 and used a 6-1 spurt to take a 12-7 advantage.

The Crusaders tied the set at 17-17 before dropping the next three points en route to a fourth-set setback.

The Big Red took a 4-0 lead to start the fifth and didn't look back.

Sophomore middle hitter Olivia Arledge (Chillicothe, Ohio) led the offense with 12 kills, while freshman Hanna Ewart (Wichita, Kan.) totaled nine kills and three blocks.

Defensively, junior Kelly Leonard (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the way with 24 digs, while junior Marissa Price (Tiffin, Ohio) and freshman Courtney McCracken (Newark, Ohio) tallied 12 apiece. Price added 19 assists.

Sophomore Katie Weilbacher (Grove City, Ohio) posted 20 assists and 10 digs.

Capital returns to play this Friday and Saturday at the Marcia French Memorial Tournament at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. The Crusaders take on Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) to start the tournament Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. affair against Buffalo (N.Y.) State.