LAURINBURG, N.C.— Playing for the first time since Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September, the Montreat volleyball team finally took to the court again Saturday morning for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match versus the St. Andrews University Knights. Despite the layoff, the Cavaliers looked sharp as they cruised to a three-set sweep and improved to 6-1 (6-1 AAC) on the year.
 
Efficient and dangerous attacking set the tone for the visitors right out of the gate. Kamryn Wolf, Karly Horn and Reese Davis notched early kills to put Montreat up 8-4 just 12 points into the match. Katie Alexander added a kill and a service ace, growing the edge to 14-8. Additional kills from Wolf and Horn helped close out the frame as the Cavs led by as many as seven points on three separate occasions, including the 25-18 first-set final score.
 
St. Andrews (0-19, 0-12 AAC) grabbed its first lead of the morning with the opening point of the second frame; however, that advantage proved to be short-lived. Wolf and Horn kills coupled with a pair of Wolf aces aided Montreat in rattling off five consecutive points. Elizabeth Harrington helped expand the lead to 12-6, but the Knights didn't go away. SAU trimmed the gap to 19-18, yet Davis, Wolf and Harrington answered with kills, and Davis tacked on an ace to eventually put the set away, 25-20.
 
A pair of Davis kills allowed the Cavaliers to snag a quick 3-1 edge on the scoreboard, while back-to-back kills from Horn and a Harrington block vaulted the lead up to 9-3. Needing the set to stay alive, St. Andrews pulled within two points once (18-16), but Harrington and Wolf each responded with a kill, and the teammates combined for a block to stunt the rally attempt. With a 25-19 third-frame triumph, Montreat closed out its three-set sweep in its return to action.
 
Overall, the Cavs dominated the stat sheet. The visitors possessed advantages in kills (45-26), hitting percentage (.301 to .113), assists (43-24), aces (8-4) and digs (60-50). Both teams notched three blocks.
 
Individually, Wolf led all attackers with 17 kills on a .412 hitting percentage. Horn tallied a career-best 12 kills, and both Harrington and Davis registered six kills. Cate Hale paced the visitors with 17 digs, while Wolf (13 digs) and Horn (12 digs) ended the day with double-doubles. Alexander had a match-high 20 assists, and Davis contributed 16 helpers.
 
"The real victory today wasn't in the score but in the opportunity to compete again," said head coach Cristina Viera. "What truly matters is the resilience, perseverance and hope that brought us here. We are deeply grateful to the college, our athletic director and the community for making this possible. Our hearts remain with the affected communities and the teammates who couldn't be with us today."
 
Montreat makes its second trip to Truett McConnell University on Tuesday for more conference action. First serve is currently slated for 6:30 p.m. in Cleveland, Ga.