MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat volleyball team scored a resounding three-set sweep over the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Tuesday night, their first such sweep in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play this year. With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 3-10 overall and 2-4 in the AAC.
 
Montreat's attack proved to be firing on all cylinders in the match's first two sets. In set one, the Cavs forced an early timeout by rattling off seven of the initial nine points played. Then, after a brief Tennessee Wesleyan run, the Cavaliers got back to growing their lead. Montreat's advantage ballooned to as large as 10 as Alivia McNally tallied an ace to take the opening frame, 25-15. The Cavs hit .324 in the set, led by Katie Dickey, who had six kills.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (1-16, 0-8 AAC) held a slim lead (6-5) early in the second frame, but a Taylor Rouse kill immediately sparked a 6-0 run in favor of the hosts. Dickey then showed her skill from the service line with three aces to stake the Cavaliers out to a 19-12 edge. Montreat's lead peaked at 21-12 as Dickey's 11^th kill ultimately sealed the second set for the Cavs, 25-17. Like the first frame, Montreat hit over .300 (.312) and tallied at least 15 kills.
 
"The energy was great right off the bat," said coach Brittany Carpenter. "We came into the gym just ready to play. We've worked hard on making our connections, running our fast-tempo sets, mixing up our offense and getting everyone included. It was great to see that come full circle today."
 
The visitors put up their toughest fight of the night in the match's final frame, grabbing their first multiple-point edge at 11-8; however, the lead wasn't built to last. Alex Marsh utilized a block and a kill to tie the set at 17 and 18, and the Cavs took six of the final seven points to erase any doubt and close out the match, 25-23.
 
For the first time this season, the Cavs' registered at least 15 kills in each set. Montreat doubled up the visitors with 46 kills and held a 41-31 edge in digs.
 
Dickey led all players with 17 kills, a .517 hitting percentage and three service aces, while Reese Davis paced everyone with 23 assists. McKinley Edmondson tallied more digs than anyone else on the night (15), and Shalice Lynch accrued the most total blocks with three.
 
"I'm super happy with our team and how we came together," Dickey noted. "We all did great, both on the bench and on the court."
 
The Montreat volleyball team hits the road Friday and Saturday for a pair of matches in Columbia, S.C. On Friday at 6:30 p.m., the Cavaliers battle the Columbia College Koalas, while on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., Montreat faces the Columbia International University Rams.