MADISON, N.J. (September 6, 2017) - Despite 21 digs from senior Melissa Gaffney, the FDU volleyball team to Muhlenberg 22-25, 16-25 and 22-25 on Wednesday.

The Devils fall to 1-1 while the Mules are now 5-0 on the short season.

FDU raced out to a 12-4 lead, as sophomore Nathalia Padron, along with seniors Courtney Conte and Rachel Catena each had multiple point serving runs. A Marissa Lehnert kill pushed the lead back to eight at 15-7, but Shannon Hubert served five straight markers to trim the gap to two. A Mules service error brought the lead to 22-19, but the visitors closed out on a 6-0 run to take set one.

With the Devils leading 6-3 after a service ace from Padron, the Mules pulled ahead for good with eight straight tallies. As the hosts got within a pair, Hubert rolled off six straight points to build back an eight point edge. FDU could get no closer than six, as the visitors took advantage of a trio of unforced attack errors to go up 2-0.

After trading the first 12 points, back-to-back kills from Gaffney and Katie Quinlan led the Devils to a 9-6 lead. Muhlenberg would score the next seven markers, and eventually would pull in front 17-13 on a service ace. FDU kept tight, using a 6-2 spurt to even the frame at 19 all. The Mules however would score six of the final nine points to complete the three set victory.

Gaffney and Padron combined for 13 kills, while Padron hit .333 hit only one error. Catena had 11 digs, while also chipping in a pair of assists.