KINGSPORT, Tenn. (Nov. 8, 2018) â€" Elise Gregory drove home 13 kills and Kellee Geren racked up 40 assists as the Milligan College volleyball team swept Tennessee Wesleyan in straight sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-19) Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament.
 
The match marked the third time the Buffaloes (24-5) have played and defeated the Bulldogs (16-21) this season. Milligan will now face off against the No. 2 seed Point Skyhawks Friday at 3:30 p.m. inside the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee.
 
Gregory continued her stellar play against Tennessee Wesleyan this season as she has averaged 15.3 kills per match against the Bulldogs. The freshman finished the day with a .310 hitting percentage.
 
Middle blocker Julie Dockery followed with 12 kills on 21 attempts and four errors for a .381 attack percentage. Dockery also tallied four blocks on the afternoon, which was tied for the match-high. Abby Falcone put down seven kills, and Julia Codispoti and Alyssa Gibson each finished off six attacks to help solidify the Buffs offensive attack.
 
Senior libero, Alyssa Rupert, led the defensive effort from the backrow with a match-high 11 digs. Layla Grant provided support behind the attacking line with eight digs.
 
Milligan put together a solid offensive attack with a .267 hitting percentage, while holding the Bulldogs to a .140 clip. The Buffs recorded 49 digs to Wesleyan's 34 and outpointed TWU 57 to 40.
 
Wesleyan's top hitter Sydney Ritten was held to four kills on 20 attempts.
 
SET-BY-SET
Trailing 16-13 midway through the first set, Milligan would use a 7-0 run to retake the lead at 20-16. Falcone, Dockery and Gregory each recorded key kills during the run, and Rupert provided a service ace to go with a couple attack errors from the Bulldogs. The Buffs would ultimately hold on for a 25-23 win to take the 1-0 advantage.
 
In the second, Milligan used a 13-4 run with the score tied at six apiece to create enough distance between them and the Bulldogs to cruise to a 25-18 win.
 
The Bulldogs showed some fight in the third set, not wanting to end their season, but Milligan proved to be too much to handle. With the game tied at 15 all, the Buffs would outscore TWU 10 to four the rest of the way to knock the Bulldogs out of the tournament.
 
UP NEXT
With the win, Milligan advances to the semifinals of the AAC volleyball tournament and will square off against No. 2 seed Point University Friday at 3:30 p.m. inside the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. If the Buffs prove to be victorious Friday, then they will play in the AAC title match scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.