FAYETTE, Mo. - Central Methodist's Ali Cure and Dana Peters sparked a Tuesday evening comeback win over Benedictine (Kan.) inside Puckett Fieldhouse in Heart of America Athletic Conference action. The Eagles defeated the Ravens by scores of 20-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 15-8.

Cure posted one kill, six digs and three total blocks in the final three games.

"It was an exciting win for us," coach Allison Jones-Olson said. "The girls came out and they played hard, they played together, and they just went out to win the game."

Peters keyed Central Methodist's (16-9, 2-4) offense throughout the night. "Everything she touched just about went down for us," Jones-Olson said. "Smart plays putting balls where the holes were, swinging when she had the chance. She played really well."�

Peters finished the match with 11 kills. Jennifer Long led the Eagles with 13 kills, and Jordan Jackson, who entered Tuesday ranked ranks 22nd in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.352), recorded 11 as well.

"Tonight the team came together to pull out a huge win," Long said. "Every single person on and off the court did their job to contribute to the overall team effort. It takes a lot of heart and dedication to come back when you're down two games, but tonight the team came back with fire and determination."

Melody Hanson led the Eagles with 26 assists. Kylie Melkersman assisted 15 times. Andrea Lopez totaled 19 digs, while Haley Willis and Long had 14 and 10, respectively. Long posted her fourth double-double of the season.

The teams played evenly in the first set, but with the score tied 17-17, Benedictine (8-18, 1-4) began making all the right plays, finishing the game on an 8-3 run to take a 1-0 lead.

The second game went much the same way. With the score tied 10-10, the Ravens went on a 4-1 run to take control of the game, and the Eagles were not able to recover, falling 25-17.

The third set saw Central Methodist swing the match's momentum in their favor. After trailing for much of the early part of the game, the Eagles tied the score at 16 following a Julia Weber kill and never trailed again.

"We started out a little slow tonight, but once we hit the third, set we really started playing as a team," Cure said. "I think that made the difference in the match. Benedictine is a good team, and they are conference foe so tonight was a great win for us. I couldn't be more proud of our team."

"I think the biggest thing, for us, in game three, we only made one error," Jones-Olson said.

The Eagles followed up their third-set victory with another strong performance in the fourth. Central Methodist fell behind 7-2, but consecutive blocks by Peters sparked an 8-1 run. A Cure block gave the Eagles a 20-17 edge. Benedictine was able to close the gap to just a single point several times late in the set, but a Long kill assisted by Melkersman allowed Central Methodist to finish off the game.

Central Methodist's second 8-1 run of the night, fueled by a block by Peters and Cure, broke a 4-4 tie in the final set. The Ravens were never able to recover, and the Eagles finished off with an eight-point win in the set to claim the match.

Hannah Grazda led the Ravens with 19 kills. Lauren Eggen had 36 digs. Emilee Clark recorded 50 assists.

"It was good for us, especially at home," Jones-Olson said, "I think we just quit worrying. We just played. It was really a team win."

The Eagles take the court again Tuesday, Oct. 22, when they travel to Culver-Stockton (Mo.). First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.