It was a topsy-turvy match but the University of The Bahamas Mingoes women's volleyball team fell in a nail-biting five sets to the Ballers in the New Providence Volleyball Association (NPVA) action at the D.W Davis Gymnasium on Monday.

Mingoes fell 3-2 on sets (25-20; 24-26; 25-17; 24-26; and 15-13). Mingoes assistant head coach Shanyhah Bowe said it was a tough match but praised her team's defense.

"What held us throughout the game tonight was our defense," Bowe said. "We had a lot of hustle plays. We ran down balls that we and the other team thought was unreachable and that brought us back into the game. That momentum carried us through."

Both teams traded sets to set up the fifth and decisive set. They then traded points to get the set started but the Ballers got a breather with a 6-4 lead. UB tied it up at 11-11 on a Garinique Hollingsworth soft touch. UB then trailed 13-11 before they fell 15-13.

The fourth set was a competitive one with UB taking a 7-9 lead. UB's setter Zarria Rose's service was key in that set as she helped UB take a 16-8 lead. UB got outplayed by the Ballers' veterans as the scored was tied up at 24 points each with the winner needing two points to win the set. After UB went up 25-25, Rose served an ace that let her team survive to the fifth set.

UB got dominated early in the third set as they went down 9-4. They were unable to get into a rhythm as they fell 25-17.

UB played a strong defensive second set and was able to hold their own. UB led 22-16 but Ballers stormed back to tie it at 24-24. UB pulled away on a Ballers' service error and Rose's ace to give them the 26-24 win.

UB went down 19-14 midway in the first set but they were able to bounce back and trail 23-20 but that was the closest they got. They eventually fell 25-20.

They now sport a 5-4 win/loss record on the season and is on track for a playoff spot.

Next up for them is a tough meeting against the Lady Warhawks at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 1.