MONTREAT, N.C.— Inside McAlister Gymnasium Friday evening, the Montreat volleyball team used a four-set victory over the Kentucky Christian University Knights to claim its spot in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament, which will take place next week. The Cavaliers advanced to 12-17 (8-13 AAC) for the year to earn the No. 10 seed in the conference bracket.
 
The night began with errors from both squads resulting in a tight opening frame before Montreat used an 8-3 run to go up by five (11-6). Kamryn Wolf contributed with five kills in the initial set, as the Cavaliers hit 0.333 to win by eight points.
 
Kentucky Christian (6-22, 4-17 AAC) utilized its best hitting set of the evening to rebound and knot the match at one. The Knights recorded 18 kills and a 0.552 hitting percentage to capture a 25-20 victory.
 
Despite the small setback, the Cavaliers answered with a third-set triumph to take a 2-1 advantage in the contest. After a 6-2 stretch by the visitors to start the frame, Montreat responded with an 8-1 stretch to move ahead by three (10-7). Behind seven more kills from Wolf, who finished the night with a match-high 17 kills, the Cavs recorded the final five points of the set to win by three (25-22). Wolf concluded the match with a 0.325 hitting percentage, and the home team finished the frame with 18 kills.
 
The Cavaliers continued to roll in what turned out to be the final set, closing the frame on a 14-2 run to handily defeat the Knights after being up only 11-10. Destini Phifer killed three of her swings in the last set to end with 13 kills on the night, while hitting 0.387.  
 
Overall, Montreat hit phenomenally with 58 kills and a 0.303 hitting percentage, overcoming KCU's 0.225 hitting. The home team ended with six aces and did not allow an opponent service ace. Five Cavaliers blocked multiple Knights' attack attempts, including Shalice Lynch, who was in on five blocks.
 
"We had a 'next-ball' mentality tonight that helped us move on after our mistakes," said head coach Haley Paonessa. "I loved seeing all aspects of defense, setting and hitting flow in McAlister with the energy from our bench and home crowd," she finished.
 
Reese Davis recorded 29 assists in the match, and Cambria Bowen added a team-high 23 digs, 16 more than any other Cavalier.
 
Volleyball now takes on Point, the No. 7 seed, in Kingsport, Tenn. on Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. Ticket and other information about the match can be found at this link.