Southfield, Mich. --- The Bethel Pilots Men's Volleyball team (0-1) was outlasted by the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils (1-0) in five sets. In the second and third sets, the Pilots won their first sets in program history by scores of 25-19 and 25-23, respectively.

The first set started slow for the Pilots letting up a 6-2 run to the Blue Devils but quickly caught up with kills by freshman Mustafa Yildiz and Ege Gul to shrink the lead to 10-9. The Pilots would maintain around a three-point deficit before losing set one 25-21.

The Pilots sparked an early lead in set two, with the Blue Devils never too far behind. The largest lead was at 18-14, where Bethel took advantage of a set error by Lawrence Tech. The Pilots would take the set 25-19 after hitting at a .333 percent clip, and Barreto led the set with seven kills.

In set three, Bethel climbed out of a 6-3 run to open the set and slowly chipped away at the lead before freshman setter Meric Meric Akovali tied the game 21-21. The Pilots would seal the set 25-23.

The Pilots continued a common theme of chipping away an early lead but couldn't get over the hump once they tied the game at 19, all from a kill by Barreto. The Blue Devils would end the set on a 5-0 run to take set four 25-20.

Set five slipped away from the Pilots when the Blue Devils opened the final set with a 9-4, but a few mistakes would allow freshman outside hitter Marcos Henrike to score their eighth point; Yildiz and Akovali combined to rally to nine points on a combo block. It was not enough to settle the Blue Devils, ultimately falling 15-9 to seal a Lawrence Tech victory.

Outside Hitter Arthur Barreto had an impressive night with 21 kills at a .326 hitting percentage, scoring 23 points for the Pilots, while Henrike led the defensive effort with 10 digs in his first collegiate match.

Akovali ran the offense well with 40 assists for the Pilots in their first match as a program leading to 40 of the Pilots' 43 kills.

The Pilots led in blocks as a team 14-12 and had fewer attack errors than the Blue Devils 29-23 but could not match the offensive efficiency in the latter sets.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• In both sets won by the Pilots, the team hit over a .250 percent clip.
• The match was evenly matched, with both sides never gaining a significant advantage.

NEXT TIME OUT

The Pilots continue WHAC play tomorrow, Sat. 28, at 3:00 p.m. against Siena Heights in Adrian, Mich., before they return home on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 to play the Pilots' first-ever home games in the Goodman Gymnasium.

For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.