KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Thursday evening, Milligan University's volleyball team went on the road to face Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Johnson University. The Buffs got off to solid starts in the first two sets but were unable to close them out late, and Johnson cruised in the third set to complete a 3-0 sweep.
Milligan scored the first four points of the opening set behind kills from
Ashton Blair and
Erin Littleton and a
Rachel Bass service ace. The Buffs held the lead and stretched it to five at 11-6, but the Royals worked their way back and eventually knotted the score at 16. From there, Johnson took over, closing out the set on a 9-0 run to take it 25-16.
In set two, Milligan once again jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first two points on Royals errors. The two sides traded points until a Blair ace gave the Buffs a 6-3 lead. MU extended the lead to six at 10-4 behind a Littleton ace and still led 15-10 before Johnson scored six of the next seven points to tie the score at 16. Finding themselves in the same position as the first set, the Buffs traded points with the Royals to a 19-19 tie, but a 6-1 run from Johnson closed out the set 25-20 and gave the Royals a 2-0 match advantage.
Both sides exchanged points at the start of the third set to a 3-3 tie before the Royals gained a slim 8-6 advantage. From there, Johnson went on a 12-1 run to break the set open and take a 20-7 lead. The Buffs managed a 3-0 run down the stretch behind a Blair ace and a Devoti kill, but it wasn't enough to get back into the set, as Johnson took it 25-10 to seal the sweep.
Bella Devoti led Milligan's attack with 10 kills on 40 attempts. Blair, Littleton and
Clare Clark each added four kills, while
Taylor Brinn chipped in one.
Kyndl Hodge passed out all 21 of the team's assists. At the service line, Blair and
Olivia Schoenstra recorded two aces apiece.
Brinn led the Buffs with 14 digs, followed by Blair with 11 and Bass with 10. Schoenstra added eight, Hodge and Devoti had five apiece, Littleton picked up two and
Abigail Kelly had the remaining dig. Devoti also led MU at the net with two solo blocks, while Hodge and Littleton each recorded a block assist.
The Buffaloes (4-16, 4-12 AAC) will play their lone remaining road match of the season on Friday, Oct. 23, when they face the Union Commonwealth Bulldogs in Barbourville, Ky. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
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