COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Saturday morning, Milligan University's women's volleyball program was on the road for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup with the Columbia International University Rams. The Buffs dropped three consecutive sets in the match, after slow start in the first set, to lose by a final score of 3-0 (9-25, 17-25, 15-25).
Milligan fell behind early in the first set. Despite kills from
Bella Devoti,
Taylor Brinn and
Ashton Blair, Columbia International scored 15 of the first 20 points to take a commanding 15-5 lead on its home floor. The Buffs answered with a 3-0 spurt behind an
Olivia Schoenstra ace, but the Rams closed the set on an 8-0 run to take it 25-9.
In the second set, the two sides traded early points, and a
Rachel Bass ace tied the score at two apiece. The set stayed competitive, as kills by Blair,
Clare Clark and
Kyndl Hodge kept Milligan within striking distance at 14-9. However, the Buffs could never find the momentum they needed to tie it or take the lead. The Rams' advantage was still five at 20-15, and despite a late kill from
Lacie Weatherman, CIU took the second set 25-17 for a 2-0 lead in the match.
Milligan had its strongest start of the night in a competitive third set. The score was tied three times before a Devoti kill knotted it again at 10 apiece. Blair then tried to get the offense going with back-to-back kills, which pulled Milligan within a point at 15-14. However, a six-point CIU burst put those hopes to rest, and the Rams scored 10 of the set's final 11 points to take it 25-15 and win the match 3-0.
Blair paced the Buffs offensively with eight kills on 29 swings. Devoti was right behind her with seven kills, and Clark and Weatherman added three apiece, with Clark hitting a team-best .400 on just one error in five attempts.
Erin Littleton chipped in two kills, while Brinn and Hodge had one termination each. Hodge also ran the Milligan offense, dishing out 20 of the team's 24 assists, with Schoenstra adding three and Clark one.
Bass led the Buffs defensively with nine digs from the back row, Hodge was close behind with eight, and Blair added six. Brinn and Schoenstra each had three digs, while Littleton and
Abigail Kelly each finished with one. At the service line, Schoenstra recorded two of Milligan's three aces and Bass had the other. At the net, Clark and
Erin Littleton each picked up a solo block.
Milligan (1-13, 1-9 AAC) will look to get back on track when they return home for an AAC match with the Montreat College Cavaliers. The match will take place at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct., 9, with a start time scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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