Fayette, Mo. - The No. 19 Central Methodist Volleyball team dropped a five-set match against MidAmerica Nazarene Tuesday night in Puckett Field House. 

The match, which served as the Heart opener for both teams, went in favor of the Pioneers by scores of 25-17, 23-25, 18-25, 15-25 and 11-15. 

Junior Gimena Dezeo had one of the best games of her career, finishing the evening with a career-high 18 kills on 32 swings for a solid .500 hitting percentage. She also added three digs and a block to her stat line. 

Joana Milho followed with eight kills, eight digs and an assist. Both Annabelle Maassen and Martina Gonzato finished the night with six kills apiece, while Maassen also tallied 12 digs, two service aces, and an assist. 

Freshman setter Giulia Gainelli dished out a team-best 25 assists along with 15 digs to pick up a double double. Fellow setter Gabi Owczarek joined Gainelli in the double-double club with 19 assists and 18 digs. 

Senior libero Rita Campos led the defense with 20 digs while also tallying six assists. 

Despite posting an overall better hitting percentage (.134) than MNU (.071), Central ran out of gas in the fifth set, hitting just .183. 

The Eagles now stand at 8-3 and 0-1 in the Heart of America.

Central will look to reset with a non-conference tri-match against Hannibal LaGrange and Tabor College Wednesday evening in Puckett Field House. Central will play at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 

#TakeFlight