ST.DAVIDS, Pa. – The FDU-Florham volleyball team nearly took the first set from ninth-ranked Eastern University but ultimately fell 3-0, 25-23, 25-14, 25-10, on Wednesday night.

Freshman Lauren Harris paced the Devils (19-7, 3-2 MAC Freedom) with nine kills and 11 digs, while Kristi Wong dished out 10 assists in the loss.

Eastern's Alicia Weigel tallied a match-best 17 kills and Stephanie Elechko registered 13 as All-American setter Rikki Schlager handed out 39 assists on the night.

The Devils gave the Eagles (20-3, 5-0 MAC Freedom) all they could handle in the first set and found themselves tied at 23 before dropping the final two points. A neck-and-neck frame saw the Devils hold the largest lead at 14-10, however, Wengel eventually closed out game one with back-to-back kills and the Eagles never looked back.

Eastern's displayed an efficient offense with an attack percentage of .305 in the match, while the Devils registered a .093 total attack percentage.

FDU-Florham junior libero Alex Mueller totaled 14 digs on the night to lead the Devils backrow.

The Devils currently sit in fourth place in the MAC Freedom standings with Eastern, DeSales University and Misericordia University claiming the top three spots in order.

A non-conference tri-match awaits the Devils this weekend when they travel to Kean University to take on Arcadia University and Millikin University on Saturday, October 17.