The University of Redlands volleyball team’s winning streak came to an end tonight as the Panthers of Chapman University handed the Bulldogs a five-set, non-conference loss by scores of 22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 29-27, 9-15.

This was also the Maroon and Gray’s first defeat at home during the 2009 season.

Chapman came out firing and pulled away late in the first set, winning the opener, 25-22.

The Bulldogs continued to struggle in the second stanza and quickly faced a two-set deficit against a gritty and determined Panther squad.

Finally, Redlands woke up in the third set, earning the solid 25-21 victory to send the match to a fourth. The Bulldogs dramatically improved their hitting percentage, cranking out 15 kills with only five errors on 48 attempts for a .208 mark.

During the fourth set, the score was tied 17 times and there were six lead-changes. Both teams faced set point, which would have been match point for the Bulldogs but they rallied back to prevail, 29-27. Redlands pumped out its best hitting performance of the night with a .267 attack percentage, which included 20 kills.

The deciding set began neck and neck until the Panthers gained momentum en route to a 10-5 lead following a controversial changed call by the official. Redlands battled to the bitter end but struggled against Chapman’s more diverse offense during the long and exhausting points. The Panthers posted five players in double-digit kills with junior outside hitter Kela Powers (Lakewood, CO) leading the charge with a match-high 18 kills.

Despite the disappointing loss, the Maroon and Gray mustered one of the best displays of blocking in recent history at Redlands, notching 17.5 total blocks on the night. Junior middle blocker Megan Phillips (Vista, CA) and senior setter Kelina Smith (Kurtistown, HI) each contributed seven block assists, while sophomore middle blocker Emily Capozzoli (Poway, CA) added six.

Senior libero Lauren Harding (Altadena, CA) supplied 37 digs for the Bulldogs.

Offensively, junior outside hitter Jackie Hamilton (Loma Linda, CA) put away a team-leading 17 kills, with Phillips backing her with 16. Capozzoli contributed 11 as the only other Bulldog in double digits.

Redlands (13-4, 7-1 SCIAC) heads to Thousand Oaks on Saturday for the Cal Lutheran Fall Classic. The Bulldogs face Wisconsin Lutheran College at 2:30 p.m., followed by a 4:40 p.m. showdown with UC Santa Cruz.