KINGSPORT, Tenn. — On Thursday afternoon, the No. 10-seeded Milligan University women's volleyball squad was part of a play-in game for the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament at the MeadowView Marriott Convention Center and Resort in Kingsport, Tenn. The Buffaloes fought valiantly in their tilt against the No. 7-seeded Union Commonwealth University (Ky.) Bulldogs, but closed out the battle with a 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 22-25, 14-16) loss.

The match's opening set was a tight one from the start, with the largest lead by either side being five points at the conclusion of the stanza. Milligan attacked at .275 for the set with 17 kills on 40 tries. UCU terminated just 12 swings out of their 41 tries to hit .122 and give the Buffs a 25-20 win to open the contest.

Union Commonwealth parried Milligan in the second, swapping offensive lines. The Bulldogs hit at .262 this time around, while the Buffaloes limped to a .175 mark. After leading 12-11, Milligan allowed UCU to snag the advantage and never again held a lead for the remainder of the set, en route to a 25-22 loss.

The Buffs roared out of the gates in the middle of five sets, scoring the first five points of the frame. Union got the score to within one quickly at 9-8, but MU countered with a 6-2 run to take a 14-9 lead, which they would extend even further to 20-12. The Bulldogs would attempt a comeback late, getting to within three points, but Milligan slammed the door shut with a 25-20 win.

Union's early 10-6 lead in the fourth set would be enough for them to hang on and force a fifth set, as neither side scored more than two points in a row from that point until the Buffs trailed 21-17 and scored three straight to get within one. Then, though, UCU snuffed out the hope for Milligan by scoring two points after the timeout and finished a 25-22 victory over the Buffaloes.

In the deciding fifth set, the Buffs rattled off five of the first six points, and nine of the opening 13 to take command of the set. Then, however, Union Commonwealth dug deep to score five points in a row and tie the score at 9-9. The side then traded points until the end, when UCU tallied two straight after a tie 14-14 score was reached to win 16-14 and close the Buffaloes' season.

Shelby Miller had a career game in her final collegiate appearance, scoring 33 kills, which was 11 more than she had had in another single match for her entire four-year career. She was asked to swing 72 times in the bout, and committed only 10 errors on those attempts to hit at .319 for the game and reach 1,430 career kills as a Buff. Bella Devoti followed her lead with 18 kills of her own and Kira Ryan supplied nine to round out Milligan's top three. Faith Wilson tallied a season-best and career-high 60 assists, while Grace Sanderson supplied five.

Four Buffaloes were over the 10-dig mark in the game, with Sanderson notching 17 to lead the squad. Wilson totaled 14 digs, while Riley Brinn picked up 14 attacks and Miller reached 11 to finish off a double-double. Kyndl Hodge had nine digs in the contest, Taylor Brinn had six and Devoti had five. Milligan totaled nine blocks, with Addison Varney leading the way with six block assists and a solo. Wilson had a quartet of helpers, while Erin Littleton, Devoti and Miller split the other six evenly.

Milligan's season is now over, as the young squad looks to improve over the offseason and sail to new heights in 2026.