WALESKA, Ga. – A second of back-to-back Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests was on tap for the Milligan University women's volleyball team on Saturday at Reinhardt University (Ga.) in Waleska. Following a five-set loss on Friday at Brenau, the Buffaloes could not keep pace with the AAC's leader to this point in the season, falling in straight sets (20-25, 16-25, 20-25).

With the defeat, the Buffs' conference record stands at 1-6 and their overall mark is 2-17.

In the first set, the Eagles roared ahead at 6-0, before Milligan battled back to a 7-5 deficit. From there, RU incrementally extended their edge, reaching as much as an eight-point lead at 21-13. From there, MU clawed back to 22-19 before the Eagles slammed the door on a 25-20 victory to open the contest.

Set two had an eerily similar start for the Buffaloes, with six of the first seven points going the way of the hosts. This time, however, Milligan went on a 9-3 run over the next 12 points to take their first lead of the match at 10-9. Reinhardt flipped the script immediately following the run, snagging eight of the following 10 tallies to jump in front by a score of 17-12. Milligan never recovered in the frame, dropping a 25-16 game to the Eagles.

The beginning of the third set was much more encouraging for the Buffs, as they held an 8-4 lead in the early stages. Unfortunately, the dreaded scoring run reared its ugly head again, as RU scored seven straight points to go ahead 11-8. From that point on, MU kept the battle close, but they could not find another run of their own. They ended up falling by a tally of 25-20 to close out the bout.

Shelby Miller had a team-high eight terminations after her 22-kill performance on Friday night. Bella Devoti finished on six of her 26 swings with four errors. Addison Varney had five solid kills on just seven attacking attempts and swung at a .571 mark. Erin Littleton had three kills and Kira Ryan added a pair of her own. Kyndl Hodge led the assist category in the contest, dishing out 15 in the loss. Faith Wilson distributed 11 toward the effort.

Hodge played a big part defensively, picking up eight of Reinhardt's attacks. Grace Sanderson and Riley Brinn both provided seven digs, while Wilson tacked on six. Taylor Brinn had three and Littleton grabbed two. Milligan's block was not a big factor, as one assisted block by Devoti and Courtney Nye, as well as one solo by Ryan totaled their rejections in the matchup.

Next up for the Buffs is a home matchup against the University of Pikeville (Ky.) Bears at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. That will be the first of three straight AAC contests on Milligan's home floor.