The defending men's club volleyball national champion was cruising through two games, but last year's runner-up had other ideas.

In front of more than 150 fans cramped into the corner of the Rec Center Thursday, No. 2 Wisconsin-Oshkosh rallied to beat No. 1 Marquette 24-30, 23-30, 30-27, 30-24, 15-13 in a match that lived up to the teams' rankings.

With most of last year's squad intact, Oshkosh represented Marquette's first big test of the season after the Golden Eagles had strolled through their first seven matches.

"It was hard fought," said senior Tom Liszka. "At least now they know they'll be fighting with us."

"I knew we could play with them," said Marquette coach Brian Nash on Oshkosh, which returned six of seven starters (a handful of which were All-Americans). "They kept us in it, they missed a bunch of serves and we took advantage."

Marquette capitalized on Oshkosh's nine service errors in the first game and went on an 8-1 run to close out the second game.

But Oshkosh's intense comeback set up a dramatic fifth game for the largest crowd Liszka had ever seen at the Rec Center.

Oshkosh won the first two points of the deciding game, but Marquette responded by taking an 8-7 lead when the teams switched sides. With the game tied at 13, Oshkosh's Matt Lewin and Nathan Malewiski recorded consecutive kills to win the match.

"In the fifth game, we wanted to be first to eight," Liszka said. "And we were, we just couldn't put it away."

The team's frustration need not last too long. Marquette will visit Oshkosh on March 1 for a rematch, and the teams will likely face each other during the postseason, as well.

"I'm pleased with where we're at," Nash said. "But it shows we have room for improvement. You have to understand that there's growing pains."