WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— The Montreat volleyball team began its 2023 regular season Tuesday night with a 5-set battle at Carolina University in Winston-Salem, N.C. After grabbing the opening two frames, the Cavaliers rebounded from dropping the next two to win the decisive final set and start the year with a non-conference triumph.
 
Three points from the service line—two errors and an ace—helped stake the Cavs out to an early 6-2 edge in the initial frame. Strong play at the net, both on attack and in defense, also aided the visitors as they established an 11-6 lead before Carolina called its first timeout.
 
Responding well to the stoppage, the Bruins went on a 12-5 run to suddenly flip the score in their favor, 18-16; however, Montreat answered with a 9-3 run of its own. A pair of CU service errors and attacking errors pushed the Cavs in front by a few points, and Kamryn Wolf slammed the door shut with a kill and a block assist to eventually take the first set, 25-21.
 
In a back-and-forth second frame, the Cavaliers once again jumped out to a quick lead, this time a 9-5 advantage thanks to kills from Elizabeth Harrington, Katie Dickey and Wolf. Like the previous set, Carolina responded swiftly with four straight points to level the score.
 
Still knotted up later at 15-15, Dickey's third kill of the frame put the Cavs ahead for good. Wolf delivered a long-range, back-breaking kill the point after, and the Bruins followed with three consecutive errors as the visitors ultimately claimed the second set, 25-18.
 
Carolina (0-1) seized the opening three points of the third frame and never looked back. Avoiding the sweep on their own home floor, the Bruins won 10 of the initial 13 points and built their lead out to as large as 12 points (21-9) en route to a dominant 25-15 third-set triumph.
 
Seven ties through the opening 14 points left both teams deadlocked at 7-7 in a critical fourth frame. Behind a pair of service aces, CU broke the pattern of trading points to vault ahead by four (13-9) midway through the set. Needing the game to stay alive, the Bruins expanded their edge on the scoreboard up to 17-12. Montreat got within a single point twice as it tried to close the gap, but each time the Cavaliers did so, they followed it up with a service error, which allowed Carolina to win the set, 25-21, and force one final frame.
 
Leaving the previous two sets behind them, the Cavs began the fifth with renewed vigor. Dickey, Harrington and Wolf each registered at least one kill early, and Lexi Wible picked up a service ace to snag a 6-3 lead. From there, the Cavaliers forced the hosts into numerous mistakes. Five of Montreat's final six points came directly from Carolina miscues, aiding the visitors along to a 15-9 fifth-set win and a 1-0 start to the season.
 
"This was a great match to start our season with," said head coach Brittany Carpenter. "In the fifth set, we were settled and determined to finish and get the win. I am very proud of my team for how they all worked together to create our own energy, overcome Carolina's crowd and get the job done."
 
As a squad, the Cavs hit efficiently most of the night, capped off by a .353 hitting percentage in the final frame. The team ultimately recorded 53 total kills with a .276 attacking percentage for the contest.
 
Individually, Dickey led all attackers with 19 kills, while Wolf wasn't far behind with 16 kills of her own. Both players hit .405 and .343, respectively. Katie Alexander paced the visitors with 19 assists, and Reese Davis contributed 15. Wible (16) and Wolf (13) each registered double-digit digs in the win, while Wible also notched four service aces.
 
Weather permitting, the Montreat women's volleyball team heads to Brunswick, Ga. this Friday and Saturday for the College of Coastal Georgia's Bash at the Beach. Match one of a 3-match trip is slated for Friday at 12 p.m. against the invitational's hosts; however, the schedule is subject to change due to Hurricane Idalia. Stay tuned to www.montreatcavaliers.com for details.