MARIETTA, Ga. - The Royals battled falling 0-2 then going 2-0 before succumbing to the (13) Eagles of Life University 13-15 in the final set. 

It looked shaky for the Royals as they fell 15-25 then 23-25. But a lot of fight saw them turn the tables and take the next two sets 25-22, 25-17 to force a five set thriller.

In the fifth set, the two squads virtually flipped point for point until tied 8-8. Down 13-10, the Royals used a quick 3-1 rally to pull the match close at 13-14. A final kill from the Eagles delivered the Royals their second straight loss to start their 2021 campaign. 

Eduardo Ayala and Tomas Di Costanzo both led the Royals offense with 13 kills. Ayala finished the game with 13 kills and 7 digs. Costanzo had his 13 kills while keeping an attack percentage of .579. Matheus Collares narrowly missed a double double with 36 assists and 9 digs. 

Defensively, Audrye Alejandro Rivera registered 19 digs, while Costanzo finished the game with 5 block assists and 1 solo block.