BROOKYLN, N.Y. – Down two sets, the Long Island University men's volleyball team (8-3) battled back to force a decisive fifth set, before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas College (6-6), 3-2, on Wednesday night at the Steinberg Wellness Center. Christopher Knowles led the Sharks with 23 kills, as Lucas Ramos followed with 12 kills and Isaac Benka added 11 kills on just 16 attempts with three service aces. Luca Holanda racked up 48 assists.

"I'm happy with how the younger guys I had in battled and never gave up," said head coach Justin Beaumont. "We will learn from this and grow from it."

LIU dropped the first set, 25-15, and the second set 25-20 falling behind 2-0 in the match.

The third set featured six ties and a lead change as the Sharks upped their sideout percentage to 71 percent and claimed set three, 25-21. Knowles tallied 11 of his 23 kills in the third.

In the fourth, LIU sided out at 75 percent and never trailed, in route to a 25-19 set victory.

In the fifth, with the match tied two sets apiece, LIU trailed 9-6, before Beaumont called time out to seize momentum. The Sharks rattled off three straight points on two kills by Benka and a kill by Knowles tying the score 9-9. After trading the next four points, with the score tied 11-11, STAC won four of the next five points, clinching the match on a kill by Gabriel Vieira.

Vieira led STAC with a match-high 26 kills. Marcus Franck tallied 38 assists for the Spartans as the two sides split this season's non-conference home-and-home series.

The Sharks return to action on Friday, Feb. 28, versus the University of Charleston (W.V.) in Loretto, Pennsylvania. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.