Definitely, definitely not for the faint of heart.

For the second time in four days, the Muhlenberg volleyball team took its fans on a rollercoaster emotional ride, going to five sets against a team that made the Centennial Conference playoffs last year. And for the second straight time, the fans were able to hop off that ride with smiles on their faces.

In a rematch of one of last year's CC semifinals, the Mules defeated McDaniel, 3-2. Coming on the heels of a 3-2 win against defending CC regular-season champion Franklin & Marshall, the win gives Muhlenberg a 2-0 start in the CC for the first time since 2002.

The back-to-back five-set wins were the first for the Mules since 2006.

Muhlenberg wrapped up the day with a 3-0 sweep of crosstown opponent Cedar Crest to run its winning streak to six and its record to 13-2 – its best after 15 matches since 1993.

The Mules were quite successful in playing from behind against the Green Terror (9-3). After dropping the first set, 25-14, they were behind 24-22 in the second and a point away from falling into an 0-2 hole. But they ran off the last four points to steal the set, with junior Vanessa Pulice dropping a serve just inside the sideline for an ace on set point.

Muhlenberg again faced a big deficit late in the third set. Down 19-14 and 22-19, the Mules rallied for a 25-23 win.

McDaniel finished off the fourth set with a 6-0 run for a 25-18 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.

Muhlenberg led 8-7 in the fifth before running off six straight points. Junior Katherine Boll had two kills and a block in the run, and the Mules finished off the match at 15-9.

Boll finished with a team-high 12 kills, and sophomore Allison Glass added 10 to go along with 21 digs. Sophomore Elizabeth Garrison led all players with 24 digs.

The only thing the Cedar Crest match had in common with its predecessor was that Muhlenberg won. The Mules set a school record with 24 service aces in the 25-6, 25-12, 25-12 victory.

Freshman Ashley Noel, one of several younger players who saw their first extended time, recorded nine aces, while seniors Nikki Dickson and Holly Hynson (pictured right) added seven and five, respectively. Six of Dickson's aces came in an eight-serve stretch late in the first set.