CHAPEL HILL — Chapel Hill’s comeback efforts came up short in a 3-1 loss to Cardinal Gibbons Tuesday.

After falling down 2-0 and responding with a win in the third set, the Tigers led 12-10 in the beginning of the fourth frame. The Crusaders stormed back with a 11-0 run to help close out the night. Cardinal Gibbons junior Ava Insley notched multiple aces in the game-winning stretch.

Sophomore outside hitter Hailey Mueller and freshman outside hitter Francesca Sales also did some heavy lifting for the Crusaders throughout the game.

“I think in the beginning of the (fourth) set, we struggled with finishing the play,” Chapel Hill coach Alexis Hollis said. “So our passes and our sets were ok in there, but we couldn’t finish the play. And in the second half of that set, it was the opposite. We couldn’t get good passes high and off the net, so that was preventing us from finishing off some plays.”

In the first set, Cardinal Gibbons turned its power on early as it jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Chapel Hill’s senior outside hitter Keilani Ledaja-Brewer stopped the game-opening burst with a kill and sparked a short run, including an ace by Maryn McIntyre, to bring the Tigers within two.

However, Cardinal Gibbons maintained its advantage despite Chapel Hill’s attempts to claw back. Ahead 21-16, the Crusaders closed the first set with four straight points.

They carried that momentum into the second set, taking a 9-0 lead over the Tigers to begin the frame. Chapel Hill got within three thanks to some more huge plays from Ledaja-Brewer, but it couldn’t overcome Cardinal Gibbons’ hot start.

Chapel Hill flipped the script in the third frame as it took an early lead and never relinquished it. The Tigers led by as much as five in the set as contributions from Williams, freshman Sommy Umenwali and sophomore Lemachi Umenwali kept them on top.

“When the girls stepped outside to have their own chat, I think they got in their heads, and they were like, ‘Okay, we can do this,’” Hollis said. “They know some of the girls from club, so the familiar faces on the other side of the net may have got in their heads, but I think they played well. They got themselves together.”

Said Hollis, “Coming out and taking a set from Cardinal Gibbons, I feel like we brought some energy. We brought momentum.”

Chapel Hill moved to 1-3 after taking consecutive losses to two powerhouses. The Tigers have played a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule in the first year under Hollis’ leadership. They will host another tough opponent in D.H. Conley Friday and follow that with Seaforth on Sept. 1 and Carrboro on Sept. 8.