They did it the hard way, but the Nipissing Lakers women's volleyball team found their way back into the win column.

It took five sets and a comeback, but the Lakers outlasted the RMC Paladins Sunday afternoon to come away with a 3-2 victory, as they earned win number four on the season.

Nipissing started off strong, taking the first set 25-14 and more or less dominated, taking care of business early.

The second set was a complete reversal, however, as RMC battled back and took control, winning by an identical 25-14 score.

With the match even 1-1, the Paladins won the key third set 25-19 to grab the lead in the match and put the Lakers on their heels.

Nipissing responded and showed a lot of grit and determination, coming away with a 25-21 win in the fourth set to extend the match to a fifth and deciding set, as both teams looked to snap winless streaks.

In the fifth, the Lakers took control early on.

They led 5-2 and extended that advantage to 8-5 at the technical timeout in the first-to-15 final set.

Nipissing then pushed their lead to four, up 11-7 and outscored RMC 3-1 to set up match point.

The Lakers would then make no mistake, putting the ball away to win the fifth set and take the match in five.

Leading the way offensively for the Lakers were Shayla Kessler who had 19 kills and 21 points and Cassie Dobson who finished with 11 kills and 15 points

Nipissing is back in action next weekend on the road at McMaster and Brock.