MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (August 30, 2014) â€" Despite a strong showing against Hannibal Lagrange University, the Milligan College volleyball team was unable to overcome the offensive power of Asbury University in the final match of the Mountain Madness tournament.
 
Milligan moved to 4-2 overall in the season and ended the Mountain Madness tournament with a record of 3-1 after the 3-0 win over Hannibal Lagrange (25-12, 25-20, 27-25) and the 3-0 loss to Asbury University (25-19, 25-20, 25-17).
 
Junior Jessica Davenport, who registered 115 assists in four matches (14 games), was named to the All-Tournament team.
 
The Buffaloes opened day two of Mountain Madness with Hannibal Lagrange and attacked early, securing two solid victories against the Trojans. The first came after an eight-point run led by senior Kaitlyn Round which ended the game with a score of 25-12.
 
The second game looked to be another easy victory for the Buffs until the Trojans battled back with a six-point run, keeping the Buffs at 24 until senior Kayla Moore recorded a kill to end the game at 25-20.
 
However, just like the legendary soldiers they are named after, the Trojans would not yield as easily in the third game either, taking an early 14-7 lead against the Buffs. The Buffs would tie the game at 19, and both teams traded points until a kill from sophomore Bailey Thomas and an attack error on the Trojans ended the game 27-25 and subsequently the match at 3-0.
 
The Asbury Eagles, which currently receive votes in the national top-25 poll, would prove to be the greatest challenge for the Buffs though.
 
The Eagles jumped to an early 5-1 lead in game one and would hold that lead until the Buffs managed to tie the game at 10. The two teams would trade points until Asbury took another five-point lead (21-16) and held it until a service error by the Buffs ended the set at 25-19.
 
Milligan would jump out to a 7-1 lead in the second game, but a seven-point run by the Eagles would stop their momentum and they would defeat the Buffs 25-20.
 
The Buffs were unable to stop the powerful offense of the Eagles in the third game, as they recorded 17 of their 35 total kills to close the match with a 25-17 score.
 
The Buffs travel to Faulkner University next weekend to take part in the Faulkner University Tournament. Game time for the first match against Faulkner University is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5.