COLUMBIA, S.C.— Behind a dominant attack and a flurry of service aces, the Montreat volleyball team dispatched of the Columbia College Koalas in three sets Monday night. With the victory in Columbia, S.C., the Cavaliers improved to 8-13 overall and 7-7 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests.
 
The Montreat attack set the tone for the night early in the match, with two Shalice Lynch kills, a Katie Dickey kill and a Mackailyn Cherry ace handing the visitors a 4-1 first-set lead. While Columbia did manage a 5-0 spurt to take its first lead of the match, the Cavaliers claimed eight of the next nine points, which were powered by five kills and another ace. Montreat also captured the final seven points of the frame to win by an emphatic 25-15 margin. Dickey led the Cavs with four kills in the set, while Lynch added three of her own to boost Montreat's .258 hitting percentage.
 
When the Cavaliers got going offensively, there was little Columbia (1-18, 1-13 AAC) could do to stop them. A 5-0 run gave Montreat separation early in the second set to the tune of a 9-5 lead. The hosts responded with a quality stretch of their own to trim the Cavs' lead to just one (12-11), but Montreat put an end to any uncertainty as to who would seize the frame moments later. One-upping their 7-0 run to end the initial set, the Cavaliers utilized a 13-2 streak to dig a deep hole for the Koalas' comeback hopes. With six service aces, a .385 hitting percentage and four Kamryn Wolf kills in the frame, Montreat's 25-13 triumph inched the visitors one set closer to a conference sweep.
 
While the Cavs' best hitting percentage of the night came in the second set, their highest kill total in a set this season came in the match-clinching third frame. Montreat's first nine points came directly off Cavalier attacks, and the visitors racked up 21 kills to take the set and the match. Columbia hung closely with Montreat in the third, but an unassisted Destini Phifer kill wrapped up the action in Columbia with a 26-24 frame.
 
"Tonight was a good game for us to get our footing and mentality right for this week," said Coach Brittany Carpenter. "We came out and worked hard to earn our first two sets. We're still focusing on consistently setting our own tempo to keep the game how we want it to be."
 
Dickey registered a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs, both Montreat highs on the night. Wolf and Haley Horton joined Dickey in double figures with 10 kills, while both Reese Davis (24) and Alivia McNally (15) totaled double-digit assists. McNally also notched five service aces, and Phifer proved support at the net with 3.0 blocks.
 
The Montreat volleyball team returns to action Tuesday night for a non-conference matchup at Carolina University. Play is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C.