CLEVELAND, Ga.— The Montreat volleyball program saw its four-match winning streak come to an end in Cleveland, Ga. Friday night, as the Truett McConnell University Bears won all three sets of an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) affair. With the defeat, the Cavaliers dropped to 7-12 overall and 6-6 in AAC play.
 
In a frame that featured three significant runs, Truett McConnell struck the first blow as it jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in the initial frame, thanks in large part to a sequence that featured five kills, two services aces and a Montreat service error. After the Bears moved their edge up to 13-5, the Cavaliers answered. Taylor Rouse, Katie Dickey and Destini Phifer tallied kills while Dickey and Phifer teamed up for a block to spark a 6-0 run and close the Montreat deficit to two points (13-11); however, the Bears had the last laugh as their .324 first-set hitting percentage helped grab nine of the following 11 points before eventually sealing the frame with their 15^th kill, 25-15.
 
Truett McConnell (14-12, 8-5 AAC) capitalized on a plethora of Cavalier errors in the second set, leading 13-6 courtesy of eight Montreat attacking miscues. Alex Marsh provided a spark off the bench for the Cavs, registering two kills and a tandem block with Phifer to pull Montreat within two points (16-14). Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the hosts managed to regroup during a timeout. Two kills out of the stoppage helped lead to a 5-0 Bears run, and 11 Montreat attacking errors coupled with a .000 hitting percentage proved too much to overcome as TMU claimed the second set in its favor, 25-23.
 
Needing just one more frame to clinch a conference victory, Truett McConnell got off to another strong start in the third set. The Bears, aided by four Cavalier attack errors, seized eight of the first 11 points to lead 8-3. Montreat managed to trim its deficit to just a single point (12-11) midway through the frame, but the hosts' .355-.086 hitting edge was enough for the Bears to hang on. A late run saw TMU take the third set by a 25-18 score, clinching the match in the process.
 
"Tonight simply wasn't our night," said Coach Brittany Carpenter. "It took awhile to get into the flow of the game, and we were just unable to finish. We are looking ahead to tomorrow, ready to come out and compete."
 
Katie Dickey led all Montreat attackers with 11 kills, while McKinley Edmondson paced the Cavs with 20 digs. Kamryn Wolf tallied seven kills on the night, and Alivia McNally totaled 12 assists.
 
The Montreat volleyball team remains in Georgia for its next AAC matchup, an 11:00 a.m. clash Saturday against Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga.