MILLIGAN, Tenn.— The Montreat volleyball team traveled to Milligan, Tenn. Thursday night for its sixth consecutive road match. After trading the first two sets of play, the Cavaliers fell on the short end of the following two frames, suffering a 4-set defeat in the process. With the loss, the Cavs slid to 8-15 overall and 7-8 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action.
 
Milligan (15-11, 11-6 AAC) controlled the initial set of play from the first serve. Two kills, a service ace and two Cav errors staked the hosts out to a 5-0 edge, and the lead only grew from there. The Buffaloes' largest lead of the first came with the frame's conclusion as they cruised past Montreat to the tune of a 25-7 opening-set win. Milligan outhit the Cavaliers in the frame, .414 to -.032, and utilized 13 kills and five service aces in the effort.
 
Despite the scoring disparity in the opening set, the visitors were undeterred. As the Cavs regrouped, they seized four of the first five points behind two Haley Horton kills, an Abby Maldonado ace and a Milligan miscue. While Milligan briefly flipped the script back in its favor with a 6-0 run, Montreat responded swiftly. A 9-0 run powered by two blocks, two Shalice Lynch kills and kills from both Kamryn Wolf and Horton gave the Cavaliers a 19-13 lead and all the momentum they needed. The hosts tried to make a late push, but Wolf and Katie Dickey bookended two Milligan errors to close out the frame, 25-22, and knot the match at a set apiece.
 
Both teams traded blows in a close third frame, as Milligan jumped out to an early 4-1 edge before the Cavs answered with an 8-2 run of their own—Montreat's spurt featured three blocks that all involved Destini Phifer. The largest stretch of dominance in the third came from the Buffaloes as they utilized a 10-1 span midway through the set to vault ahead of the Cavaliers, 16-10. Kills from Phifer, Dickey and Rouse trimmed the Montreat deficit to 23-21 late, but Milligan's 14^th kill of the frame clinched the set, 25-21.
 
Four straight kills to start the fourth put the hosts in front of Montreat, but three ensuing Buffalo errors coupled with a pair of Horton kills leveled the set at 5-5; however, the set remained even for only a few more points. Three more Milligan attacks finished off rallies and gave the Buffs a 12-8 advantage, a deficit the Cavaliers couldn't overcome. The Cavs pulled within three points on two occasions (12-9, 18-15) thanks in part to 10 Buffalo attacking errors, but the hosts' 14 kills were just enough to overcome those blunders as Milligan sealed the match via a 25-18 fourth-set triumph.
 
Despite out-blocking the hosts, 8-5, Milligan leaned on a 17-point kill edge and an 8-point advantage behind the service line to defeat the upset-minded Cavaliers.
 
Horton and Dickey paced all participants with 10 kills each, and Wolf concluded the evening with eight kills. Dickey (18) and McKinley Edmondson (17) each registered double-digit dig totals, while Reese Davis (19) and Alivia McNally (10) did the same in the assist column. Phifer led all athletes with five blocks.
 
The Montreat volleyball team continues its 8-match road trip this Saturday with an AAC clash versus Kentucky Christian University. First serve is slated for 1:00 p.m. in Grayson, Ky.