CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Royals' six game winning streak was snapped this afternoon in a game with King College that went to five sets. Queens University of Charlotte fell 3-2 to the Tornado giving them a record of 5-1 in the conference and 10-5 overall. The Tornado improve to 5-1 and 11-8 on the season. The Royals faced King today without their starting setter Avery Moore (Arlington, Texas, Lamar) and senior Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C., Sun Valley ), who led Queens in kills and blocks coming into the match, due to injury.

The Royals fell to King by scores of 28-26, 18-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-9. Today's match was the first five set match that Queens has lost this season.

The game opened with a very tight match that ended in Queens' favor after extra points.

Set two and three were won by six or more points by the visitors putting them ahead 2-1 heading into the fourth. The Royals had control of the second set early going on a 7-to-3 run forcing a timeout by the Tornado. Out of the break, King was able to tie the game up at 9-9. The game went back and forth before the Tornado were able to take the lead at 12-11. The set would see two more ties before King took the lead for good tying the match up at 1-1.

King commanded the lead early in the third set as errors plagued the home team. The Royals were forced to take a timeout with King leading 15-6 trying to stop the bleed, but the Tornado held out for the 25-16 win.

The Royals responded in the fourth turning things around to tie the match up at 2-2. The set was another tight one with King pushing ahead late, 21-17. A block by Queens would return the serve to Queens beginning the late run that won it for the Royals. Keri Kemp (Lake Mary, Fla., Lake Mary) put a ball down bringing Queens to within two of the Tornado. Another block cut the lead to one, 22-21. King's Ashley Pittman made an attempt to reclaim the momentum for her squad, but the Royals were relentless in their efforts. Anna Gibbs (Hickory, N.C., Hickory) spiked a ball to the court, which was followed with a kill by Ashlyn Dibrell (Arlington, Texas, Lamar) that tied the game up at 23-23. Kemp was not finished yet as she picked up the go ahead kill on the next play forcing a timeout by King. The Royals returned to the court with Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn., Blaine) at the serve picking up an ace and the win pushing the game to the fifth set.

The Royals led 2-0 in the fifth before King seized the lead holding out for the 15-9 win.

Barren and Kemp led Queens today with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.  Kemp finished with a .529 hitting percentage. Dibrell led the Royals with 20 assists, while Taylor Riley (Lynchburg, Va., E.C. Glass) chipped in 17. Jocelyn Kellinger (Roanoke, Va., Cave Spring) tallied 26 digs on the defensive end alongside Barren's six blocks. The Royals had 16 total blocks in the loss.

Pittman led the Tornado with 27 kills followed by Sarah Van Goethem who put down 15. Shannon Earwood collected a game high 47 assists. The Tornado notched 96 digs as a team.

Queens returns to the court tomorrow in Wingate, N.C., to take on No. 16 Wingate University at 3 p.m.