ATHENS, Tenn.— The Montreat volleyball team began its eight-match road trip with a tussle against the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Tuesday evening. Thanks to a 3-0 sweep, the Cavaliers notched their fourth consecutive win and improved to 7-11 (6-5 AAC) this year. This marks the first time the Cavaliers are over .500 in conference play (6-5) since the 2019 season, when the team started 5-0 in league action.
 
Though Tennessee Wesleyan (1-22, 0-14 AAC) stormed out of the gate to lead by three midway through the initial set (11-8), Montreat settled into the match and utilized offensive efficiency to bounce back. Eight early kills by four different Cavaliers, as well as a 9-3 run, enabled the Cavs to flip the script and hold a three-point edge of their own (17-14). In a back-and-forth frame that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, 14 kills, including five from Katie Dickey, on a .220 hitting percentage coupled with nine errors from the home team put Montreat ahead 1-0 with a tight 28-26 set victory.
 
Four early kills from Kamryn Wolf helped the visitors out to a 9-4 advantage in the second frame. A pair of Bulldog mistakes and an ace from Cambria Bowen then ballooned the difference to eight points (13-5) as Montreat reached the midway point of the set. Despite a handful of miscues that dwindled the lead to as few as five several times, the Cavaliers cruised to a 25-14 win to pull within a set of their fourth straight triumph thanks to a 9-2 stretch toward the end of the second. The Cavs limited their attacking errors, hitting .400 with 15 kills in the second set alone, while TWU hit negatively (five kills, six errors) to give the Cavaliers the frame in dominant fashion.
 
After a runaway second set, the third was a close one as neither squad held more than a three-point edge until late. With the score knotted at 18, Montreat used a 4-0 run to create breathing room; however, the Bulldogs answered with five consecutive points of their own to lead 23-22. In a set that consisted of 14 ties, the Cavaliers responded with one final push, capturing the last three points of the match en route to a 25-23 victory to secure the sweep.
 
Overall, the Cavs claimed easy advantages in most statistical categories, including kills (41-28), hitting percentage (.267-.049), assists (41-26), digs (48-41) and blocks (6.0-4.0). Dickey captained all players with 13 kills, while Wolf (10) joined her teammate in double figures. Splitting the setting duties, Reese Davis and Alivia McNally notched 19 and 17 assists, respectively. McKinley Edmondson led both teams with a match-high 14 digs, and Dickey recorded a double-double thanks to her 13 digs.

"This game is what we needed to start our away stretch," said Coach Brittany Carpenter. "The girls were able to come together to create our own energy and fight to finish," she ended.
 
Volleyball plays the second match of its road trip on Friday at Truett McConnell University. First serve of the contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.