MONTREAT, N.C.— In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) battle inside McAlister Gymnasium Saturday morning, the Montreat volleyball team faced the Union College (Ky.) Bulldogs looking for its third consecutive victory. The Cavaliers handed the Bulldogs a trio of set losses to sweep the match and improve to 6-11 overall and an even 5-5 in AAC play.
 
Four Montreat attack errors in a row allowed Union (8-11, 4-7 AAC) to lead 4-0 to start the match; however, the Cavaliers responded with a 4-0 stretch of their own to knot the set at four. Three Bulldog miscues and the first of many Alivia McNally service aces fueled a 5-0 run, while the home team's attack flourished for the remainder of the frame. After the initial four errors, Montreat registered just two the rest of the set and recorded 12 kills, in addition to four blocks, to extend the run to 20-10 and take a 1-0 advantage with a 25-19 win. The Cavs tallied a match-best .207 hitting percentage to Union's mere .032.
 
In the second set alone, the Bulldogs gifted the Cavaliers nine points on attacking mistakes. As in the initial frame, the visitors jumped out to a multiple-point edge (3-0), but Montreat captured the ensuing five points to lead 5-3. The Cavaliers eventually forced a Union timeout following a 12-6 advantage. Though the Bulldogs closed the gap to tie the set at 15, a late 5-0 stretch enabled the Cavs to triumph 25-22 and pull within a set of their third sweep of the year.
 
Montreat used the momentum it gained from a victory in the second set to easily claim the third in dominating fashion. Union led 5-3; however, a run of 10 consecutive serves by McNally gave the Cavaliers the separation they needed. The 10-0 run featured five service aces from the freshman as well as four kills by the Cav offense, which pushed the home team out front, 13-5. As the Bulldogs hit negatively for the second straight frame and Montreat's offense continued to roll, the lead reached as many as 12 points en route to a 25-14 triumph.
 
"Starting in the beginning of the season, it's nice to grow as a team. I think getting closer to teammates and seeing how to work with the team as I'm setting, along with being more confident and my teammates uplifting me, have really helped as the season has gone on," said McNally of her development throughout the initial half of her first year.
 
Overall, the Cavaliers held strong advantages in nearly every statistical category, besting Union in kills (35-23), hitting percentage (.156 to -.011), service aces (11-3), digs (37-30) and blocks (8.0-5.0). Katie Dickey led the charge with a match-best 10 kills, while Kamryn Wolf and Haley Horton contributed nine and eight, respectively. Wolf led all players with a .320 hitting percentage. Reese Davis notched a match-high 15 assists and McNally collected 11. Defensively, McKinley Edmondson registered 10 digs, Dickey added nine and a trio of Cavs (Destini Phifer, Shalice Lynch and Horton) stuffed four opponent attacks.
 
Coach Brittany Carpenter mentioned, "I think everything we've been working toward implementing has taken effect. The girls are really buying in to the little things we've been talking about. It's great to see them come together, run our offense and be comfortable on the court. Our next challenge is taking the same energy from this week on the road."
 
Volleyball now begins an eight-contest road stretch on Tuesday at Tennessee Wesleyan. First serve in Athens, Tenn. is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.