STEUBENVILLE — Catholic Central battled visiting Bishop Rosecrans Saturday afternoon through four sets, but ultimately, came up on the losing end of a 25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23 verdict.

The loss drops the Crusaders to 0-2, but new head coach Kaylyn Cochran, the match held plenty of positives.

A loss is a loss, but a four-set competitive match is better to build from than a straight-set sweep the Crusaders suffered at the hands of Toronto in a mutual-season opener earlier in the week.

“We’re still putting things together,” Cochran admitted. “I recently took over the program and the girls are still getting used to me; plus, we have a fairly young varsity roster.

“There are a lot of sophomores and we had a freshman starting. It’s a new system, and a new coach.”

The Crusaders lost a lot of experience and talent from last season’s team, including their top four attackers, along with their two leading setters.

Both setters, senior Mary Fink and junior Maddie McEndree, took a bit of time to get acclimated, but as the match progressed, they settled in and started making consistent set-ups.

McEndree totaled nine assists, backed by Fink’s seven.

The team features only three seniors — Karlie Nese, Julia Nurczyk, and Fink.

Nurczyk is the leading returning attacker and she fittingly led the team with eight kills. Nese backed her with seven to go with her game-high six aces.

Despite not utilizing a jump serve, Nese serves with power and accuracy and the Bishops had difficulty handling her service.

“She’s good at serving, can pass and hit–she’s pretty much our utility player,” Cochran said of Nese. “I can put her anywhere.”

Receiving service was an issue for the hosts, especially during the first two sets.

Rosecrans’ Sophia Scott and Peyton Hartman each finished with four aces and the Bishops combined with more than 10.

“We’re still working on coverage and picking up defense,” Cochran said. “I know last year they weren’t familiar with running a libero, which we’re doing this year. We’re working on who takes what ball on the serve.”

Sienna Krupp totaled four kills and three aces while Elizabeth Cochran finished with five kills.

On the opposite side, Rosecrans was led by the towering duo of Izzy Demattio and Ellie Worden, who totaled 13 and 10 kills, respectively.

Catholic Central is back in action Tuesday when they travel to Cadiz to face Harrison Central, another team working through heavy graduations losses.