ALLIANCE, Ohio -- The 22nd-ranked Mount Union volleyball team dealt Case Western Reserve its first loss of the season on Wednesday night, defeating the Spartans in four sets.

The Purple Raiders got off to a fast start in the first set and led by as many as seven points (11-4) after an error by Samantha Buddemeyer error.  But Case leveled the first set at 16 thanks to a Buddemeyer kill and extended the lead to 19-16 after a Mount Union attack error.

But the Raiders rallied off four out of the next five point to tie the set at 20.  With the set tied at 23, Taylor Webb (Geneva/Geneva) posted back-to-back kills to give Mount Union a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Spartans and Raiders played through another tight set in the second, with Case prevailing 25-23.

In the third, Case Western Reserve led through the first 39 points of the set before the Raiders tied it at 20.  Mount Union took its first lead of the set thanks to a block by Nicole Snyder (Mentor/Lake Catholic).  They went on to win the set 25-23.

The Raiders cruised in the fourth, dropping the Spartans 25-15.

Snyder led the way in the kills category for Mount Union (6-3) with 18 and Webb followed with 11. Kristen Gromes (Navarre/Fairless) posted 20 digs for the Raiders, while Lauren Mastroine (Orrville/Orrville) had 19. 

Case Western Reserve fell to 8-1 for the year.

Mount Union heads to Gambier, Ohio, to take on 12th-ranked Juniata (Pa.) in the Kenyon Invitational.  Match time is slated for 4:30 p.m.