UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Roosevelt fell in three tightly-contested sets Saturday evening against Saginaw Valley State in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match in University Center, Mich.

The Lakers (1-9, 0-2 GLIAC) pushed the Cardinals with an explosive offense in their 25-22, 25-22, 29-27 defeat on the road. Roosevelt hit above .300 in all three sets and finished with 39 kills to just 11 errors in the match. Viktoria Marysheva led the attack with 14 kills and Yuliia Shchepkina was right behind with 12 kills and no errors.

Roosevelt jumped out to a quick start on the road, winning seven of the first nine points in the opening set with two kills for Marysheva and Shchepkina as well as the duo teaming up for a block. Roosevelt maintained the advantage until Saginaw Valley State tied the set at 19 before the Cardinals won the final three points.

It was the Lakers' turn to come back in the second set, turning an early 8-2 deficit into a 20-20 tie on a kill by Shchepkina. The third set was as close as the score suggested with the teams being tied 13 times and the lead changing hands five times. Roosevelt staved off three match points in the third set before the Cardinals scored the winning point.

Zoe Hutchinson helped the offense flow with 32 assists, but also provided some defensive support with a team-best nine digs as well. Logan Cofield slammed down six kills, the only other Lakers player with more than two kills in the match.

OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE: Saturday's loss was the second-most efficient offensive performance of Nicasio Paquiz Jr.'s tenure at Roosevelt. The Lakers hit .337, the fourth time in Paquiz's seven seasons that the team has surpassed the .300 mark in hitting percentage. Roosevelt's 11 errors were just the fourth time in the past 91 matches it has committed so few.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE: The duo of Marysheva and Shchepkina has blossomed in the little more than a year they have shared the court together. Yet they may have been at their best Saturday with a combined 26 kills and just three errors for a .511 hitting percentage. The two had 11 combined kills in the first set then each had their moment to shine in the other two sets. Shchepkina had four kills in the second set then Marysheva finished with six kills in the third. The two also combined on three blocks together, two of which came in the third set.

UP NEXT: Roosevelt finally returns to the Goodman Center for its home opener Friday at 6 p.m. against Purdue Northwest. The Pride and Lakers met as members of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2016 with Purdue Northwest prevailing in five sets. However, in the years since, the two have competed in several exhibitions and spring games as well.