MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat volleyball team hosted a high-stakes Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match against the Johnson University (Tenn.) Royals Friday evening inside McAlister Gymnasium. With both teams battling for a critical point in the conference standings race, the Cavaliers staved off a late push from the visitors to seize a 3-1 win and improve to 11-10 (8-10 AAC) on the season.
 
Elizabeth Harrington was in on a pair of blocks early in the opening set, while Katie Dickey rattled off three consecutive kills to help the Cavs build an 8-5 lead shortly after the match began. Johnson strung together a series of points to move ahead by a point at 10-9, but Montreat's attack proved far too much to overcome in the frame. Dickey and Shalice Lynch powered an offensive outburst that saw the hosts win 10 of the final 13 points en route to a 25-18 win. The Cavaliers tallied a .310 hitting percentage to go along with a season-best 18 kills in the set, seven of which came from Dickey.
 
A defensive edge sparked Montreat's 25-19 victory in the second frame. Midway through the set, Lynch and Kamryn Wolf racked up kills, and Wolf teamed up with Harrington for another block that established an 11-7 advantage on the scoreboard. The Cavs utilized another 10-3 spurt to move in front by seven points (16-9), and Harrington contributed one solo block as well as four block assists to hold the Royals to a negative hitting percentage (-.053).
 
Johnson (14-11, 8-11 AAC) claimed a back-and-forth third frame to keep the match alive thanks to its strong finish. After both teams traded runs midway through the set, the Royals collected their second 5-1 stretch of the frame to lead at 19-16. Alex Marsh and Harrington combined for a block that tied things at 19, but JU relied on a late 5-0 run to extend the contest with its 25-21 triumph.
 
With their backs against the wall, the visitors seemed destined to force a fifth set. Neither team could create significant separation over the other, and it eventually resulted in a 23-21 Royals lead in the latter stages of the frame. Despite the deficit, Montreat stepped up in the match's most contentious moments. Kills from Harrington and Dickey tied the set at 23-23, Wolf handed the Cavaliers a match point with a service ace and an attacking error sealed the match. The 4-0 run pushed the hosts over the top at 25-23, and the Cavs captured a 4-set victory as a result.
 
"This match was really important for us," said head coach Brittany Carpenter. "Everyone stepped up today, and that will continue to be important for us moving forward."
 
By the match's conclusion, Montreat owned a .176 to .110 hitting edge over Johnson. The Cavaliers also recorded more kills (53-44), assists (49-44) and service aces (8-3) than their counterparts, while the Royals registered a greater number of digs (77-60).
 
Dickey tied for the match-high with 13 kills, while a trio of Cavs surpassed or matched their career highs in that department. Karly Horn totaled a career-best 10 kills, and both Lynch (8) and Marsh (7) tied their Cavalier highs. Harrington also had a career-best effort with two solo blocks and eight block assists as she was in on all 10 of Montreat successful blocks. Wolf proved responsible for nine kills and a team-high 16 digs, while Lexi Wible (14) and Reese Davis (11) also supplied double-digit dig totals. Katie Alexander garnered 23 assists in the victory, and Davis finished off her first double-double of the season with 18 assists.
 
"Defense is really important, and we all were just working together to do our very best and come out with a win," Harrington added.
 
The Montreat volleyball team returns to action tomorrow afternoon for its senior day matchup against Union College (Ky.). First serve is slated for 1 p.m. in Montreat, N.C., with senior recognition taking place inside McAlister Gym prior to the match.