MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Nov. 1, 2018) â€" Kellee Geren registered her 15th double-double of the season, but the Milligan College volleyball team dropped their first match in over a month falling in four sets (24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 16-25) to Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Union College Thursday night in the regular season finale.

Milligan finished the regular season with a 23-5 overall record and a 16-3 mark in conference play. The Buffs currently sit in third place in the AAC, but could move up as high as No. 2 coupled with two Point University losses. Union picked up their 11th straight conference win and improved their record to 18-17 overall (14-4 AAC).

BY THE NUMBERS
Geren guided the Buffs offensive attack with 40 assists and contributed to the defensive effort with 13 digs. The junior setter currently leads the AAC in assists per set with an average of 9.8.

Freshman Elise Gregory and junior Alyssa Gibson were Geren's top targets on the night as they each drove home a match-high 13 kills. Gibson led Milligan with a .323 hitting percentage. Julia Codispoti put down eight kills from the middle blocker position.

Defensively, Milligan was led by senior libero, Alyssa Rupert, who scooped up 20 digs. Gregory chipped in 14 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.

The difference in the match came at the net as Union outblocked the Buffs 15 to six on the night.

Milligan split the season series between the Bulldogs as both teams picked up wins on each other's home court. The Buffaloes finished with an 11-1 record against the AAC North division this season.

SET-BY-SET
Despite trailing for the majority of the first set, Milligan continued to fight hard and made things interesting late with an 8-3 run. With Union leading 20-15, the Buffs would score eight of the next 11 points to tie the set at 23-all. The Bulldogs ultimately held off Milligan in a tight first game winning 26-24.

The Buffs would answer back in the second frame using a 9-3 run down the stretch to defeat the Bulldogs 25-19 to tie the match at one apiece.

In the third game, Milligan let a six point lead slip away late as Union reclaimed the advantage with a 25-23 win. It would be all Bulldogs in the fourth and final set as Milligan fell 25-16.

UP NEXT
Milligan will turn their attention toward postseason play as the AAC Tournament begins Thursday, Nov. 8, in Kingsport, Tennessee. Matchups and times will be announced at a later date.