SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Nov. 29, 2018) â€" Despite strong performances from senior Alyssa Rupert and junior Alyssa Gibson, the Milligan College volleyball team (26-9) dropped their final game of the 2018 season in straight sets (8-25, 23-25, 22-25) to No. 17 Providence (23-11) Thursday afternoon at the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship final site held at the Tyson Events Center.
 
After dropping the first set, Milligan pushed the Argos to the brink in the second and third games. In the second frame, there was a total of 14 ties and seven lead changes as both teams traded blows back-and-forth. A kill by Julie Dockery drew the Buffs even with Providence at 23 all, but the Argos would score the final two points to claim the win.
 
Providence used two 3-0 runs in the third and final set to create enough separation to hold off the Milligan attack and come away with the sweep.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Kellee Geren guided the Buffs offense with 28 assists and added 11 digs on the defensive end for her 18th double-double of the season. The junior setter finished with 1,230 assists for the season.
 
Geren's top target on the afternoon was Gibson who drove home 12 kills on 20 attempts with only one error for a .550 attack percentage.
 
Following Gibson, Julia Codispoti finished second on the team with nine kills, while Dockery chipped in six and freshman Elise Gregory accounted for four.
 
In her final match as a Buff, Rupert scooped up 19 digs and set two school records in her senior campaign. Rupert, the Appalachian Athletic Conference Libero of the Year, finished the season with a school record 834 digs for an average of 6.62 per set, also a school record. The senior ranks in the top five nationally in both categories.
 
The block proved to be one of the biggest differences in the match as Providence recorded nine to Milligan's two. Lauren Brown led the Argos with 13 kills and was followed by Kelsey Shaver and Sydney Andersen who each posted 10 on the day. Shaver added 20 digs for a double-double.
 
It was an historic season for the Buffaloes who finished with a 26-9 record and advanced to the national tournament for the first time since the 1996 season. The 26 wins was the second most Milligan has accrued in a season since 2011 and the team's 14 match winning streak throughout conference play was the longest since a nine-match streak in 2016.
 
Milligan will return to action in 2019.