MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat volleyball team concluded its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season slate Tuesday night with a matchup against the Reinhardt University Eagles inside McAlister Gymnasium. Behind a spectacular 4-set triumph, the Cavaliers captured their first victory over the Eagles since 2016 and secured their first winning season since 2013. With the win, the Cavs' record now stands at 13-10 (10-10 AAC).
 
Montreat stormed out of the gates thanks to its best attacking set of the night. Kills from Kamryn Wolf, Karly Horn and Katie Dickey handed the first three points of the match to the hosts. Alex Marsh added a pair of kills moments later, pushing the Cavaliers' lead to 10-5 in the process. Leading by as many as nine points in the frame (21-12), an Elizabeth Harrington kill coupled with an ace from Katie Alexander closed out a 25-20 triumph in set one. Montreat racked up 18 kills in the frame, with Dickey and Wolf each contributing six kills of their own.
 
Reinhardt (21-7, 14-6 AAC) collected the first two points in the second, but the Cavs rolled from there. A remarkable 14-1 run powered Montreat out to a 14-3 edge on the scoreboard. Dickey once again tallied six kills in the set, and a .194 to .000 hitting percentage advantage saw Montreat win the second frame as well, this time by a 25-17 scoreline.
 
Desperate to continue the match, the Eagles found their groove in the third set. A pair of long runs (5-1, 7-2) aided RU in creating separation with an 18-11 lead, and the visitors rode their .341 to .115 hitting advantage to a 25-16 match-extending set win.
 
In a tightly-contested fourth frame that featured 11 ties, Montreat made the critical plays late. Down 19-16, Marsh and Shalice Lynch finished attacks that knotted the score at 19. The Cavaliers continued their run, utilizing another Wolf kill and a Wolf-Lynch block to cap off a 7-0 spurt that vaulted the hosts in front, 23-19. Wolf's match-high 21^st kill paired with a Reinhardt attacking error ended the set, 25-21, as well as the match, 3-1. With the win, Montreat snapped its 7-match losing streak to Reinhardt, guaranteed its first winning season in a decade and improved to 8-3 inside McAlister Gymnasium.
 
"I'm excited because our potential is starting to show through," said head coach Brittany Carpenter. "We came out and just played our game. We were care-free, our defense was amazing, our setters did a great job of mixing it up and our hitters found their way around the block. These milestones just speak to the talent that's in this program."
 
With nine more kills than their counterparts (56-47), the Cavs managed to outhit the Eagles (.185 to .167) while also tallying more assists (55-45) and service aces (6-4).
 
Wolf matched her season-best with 21 kills, and Dickey followed with the second-most kills (15) and digs (17) for Montreat. Alexander (24) and Reese Davis (21) notched double-digit digs in the win. Meanwhile, Lexi Wible totaled a match-best and career-high 25 digs.
 
"I think what worked best for us was our bench communicating with people on the court, letting us know where to go and helping us get into position," Wible added.
 
The Montreat volleyball team returns to action inside McAlister Gymnasium once more as the Cavaliers host Warren Wilson College for their regular-season finale on Thursday. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.