MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Oct. 14, 2014) â€" Old-school jerseys and old-school gameplay brought victory to the Milligan College volleyball team on Tuesday evening as the Buffaloes defeated Montreat College 3-1 (25-17, 28-26, 19-25, 25-16).
 
"Our game was a throwback game," commented Head Coach Doneva Bays. "With our jerseys being old, it seemed to highlight that old-school side out scoring, where it was about the big kill rather than just who has the fewest errors."
 
That old-school side out scoring helped Milligan (14-12, 8-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) retain its third-place position in the AAC with the win over Montreat (5-19, 4-8 AAC), while also inching closer to second-place Union College, who is now only half a game ahead of the Buffaloes.
 
Milligan and Montreat faced off exactly one week ago in what was the Buffs fourth straight match on the road. The Buffs won in three quick games while in Montreat, North Carolina, but the Lady Cavaliers were not so easily defeated this time.
 
As they would do in the first three games, the Lady Cavaliers started game one with the lead (1-0). The score remained close for the better part of the game (12-11), but two 4-0 runs from the Buffs provided them with the lead they would need to take game one 25-17.
 
Milligan charged out to take an early lead in game two (11-3), but Montreat battled back, not only to tie the game at 20, but to take the lead 21-20. Both teams traded points, sending the game into extra points, but the Buffs stood tall in the end. A kill from Samantha Bruinius, who led the Buffs with 14 kills on the night, and a Montreat error ended the game 28-26, Milligan.
 
The fighting spirit of the Lady Cavaliers was not quenched by the loss. Instead, they struck harder in game three, taking the lead 6-5 and never trailing in the game again. They captured the game on a Milligan attack error, winning 25-19.
 
However, it would not be enough as Milligan took game four quickly, recording a 5-0 and 9-0 run to take the game 25-16.
 
Aside from Bruinius, four other Milligan players recorded five or more kills, and recent AAC setter of the week, Jessica Davenport, earned six aces and 37 assists.
 
The Buffs defense put up a wall against Montreat, earning 11 total blocks on the evening. Charlie Bateman led with four block assists as Marissa Langford and Savannah Benton followed closely with three of their own.
 
The Buffs will take a break from conference play and face UVa-Wise on Monday, Oct. 20 before turning around for an alumni match over homecoming weekend on Oct. 25. Both events will take place at home in the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.