COLUMBIA, S.C. — Milligan University's women's volleyball team was back in action Thursday afternoon, as they traveled to face the Columbia College Koalas in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match. The Buffs entered the contest riding a two-game win streak, and they extended it to three by sweeping the Koalas in straight sets (25-18, 25-16, 25-11).
The first set got off to an inauspicious start, as Columbia took the first three points. However, Milligan answered with four straight behind kills from
Bella Devoti,
Olivia Schoenstra and
Kyndl Hodge to take the lead. From there, the two sides traded points until the score was knotted at 10. Milligan then took control by scoring 10 of the next 12 points, and despite a late push from Columbia, an
Ashton Blair kill followed by a Koala error gave the Buffs a 25-18 first-set victory. Milligan had an efficient attack in the opening frame, hitting .357 with 15 kills and only five errors on 28 swings.
Milligan carried the momentum of the first set into the second, as it grabbed an early 6-3 lead.
Erin Littleton put a ball away to extend the lead to three, before Devoti beat the Koala defense with a trio of kills, along with a
Morgan Lambert termination, to give the Buffs a more comfortable margin at 13-5. MU kept its separation from CC behind additional kills from Devoti and Blair, leading 19-13, before Columbia trimmed the margin to four at 20-16. Devoti then took over to close the set with three kills in a five-point span, including set point, capping a 5-0 spurt that gave the Buffs a 25-16 win.
Milligan's offense was clicking in the third set, as the Buffs posted a match-best .438 attacking percentage that helped them build a commanding lead.
Rachel Bass got things going with back-to-back service aces, helping the Buffs to a 4-0 advantage. Devoti continued her prolific day, putting a ball away to extend the lead to 7-2, before an 8-0 run behind kills from
Aleah Pickett, Devoti and
Lacie Weatherman opened up a 14-point advantage for Milligan. Down the stretch, kills from Littleton and Pickett helped the Buffs cruise to a 25-11 win in the third set to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Devoti was highly impressive in the win, leading the team with 17 kills on 29 swings. She had just four errors and tallied a .448 attacking clip. Littleton was efficient at the net, finishing six of her eight swings with just one error to hit .625 for the contest. Blair (5), Pickett (3) and Weatherman (2) all had multiple terminations, as well, with Pickett going a perfect 3-for-3. While not known for attacking the ball, Hodge and Schoenstra each chipped in a kill, their sixth and third of the season, respectively. Hodge also dished out 33 assists in the sweep and added a team-high three aces.
Taylor Brinn's nine digs led the Buffs, while Blair added six and Devoti supplied five. Bass totaled four pickups, and Hodge, Littleton and Schoenstra each finished with two. Littleton and
Clare Clark each recorded a solo block to account for Milligan's two blocks on the night.
Milligan (4-14, 4-10 AAC) now holds a half-game lead for 10th place in the conference standings, the final spot in the AAC Tournament. The Buffs will look to add to that margin on Tuesday, Oct. 20, when they host the University of Pikeville Bears at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. However, Milligan will have its work cut out for them, as UPIKE currently sits atop the AAC standings at 12-0. The match is set to start at 6:30 p.m.
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