GAINESVILLE, Ga.— Heading down to the state of Georgia Tuesday evening, the Montreat volleyball team battled the Brenau University Golden Tigers in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) showdown. While the Cavaliers won the first matchup between the two sides, BU proved victorious in the rematch, dropping Montreat to 7-4 (7-4 AAC) with a three-set sweep.
 
Brenau (9-11, 6-9 AAC) sprinted out to a quick lead during the opening set as the hosts snagged six of the initial seven points and 11 of the first 14 points to possess an 11-3 edge moments into the frame. Elizabeth Harrington and Reese Davis notched kills midway through the set, and Cate Hale delivered a service ace to quickly trim the gap down to 12-7. Additional kills from Harrington and Abby Allgood slashed the deficit to 20-17, and a pair of errors had the Cavs trailing just 22-20 late in the frame; however, the Golden Tigers held off the visitors' surge and claimed the set, 25-21.
 
After trading points early in the second frame, an 8-1 run saw BU establish a 15-8 advantage over Montreat. Davis and Karly Horn kept the Cavaliers within shouting distance heading into the latter stages of the set thanks to a series of kills, but the Golden Tigers closed out the frame with a 6-1 spurt and a .409 hitting percentage to win the set, 25-14.
 
The third frame featured five lead changes, including a trio of momentum shifts down the stretch. The visitors tallied the initial three points, but Brenau answered swiftly to seize a 5-4 lead. An ace from Hale and a kill from Horn helped flip the scoreline back in Montreat's favor at 13-10, but the hosts battled back to move in front, 16-15. Davis and Horn reclaimed the advantage on the attack, and the Cavaliers owned a 21-20 edge in the waning moments of the set. Despite their efforts, the Cavs couldn't withstand one final rally from the Golden Tigers. A 5-0 run wrapped up the frame, 25-21, and the match, 3-0, in favor of the home team.

"After a challenging weekend, we saw strong moments and a lineup that's starting to click," said head coach Cristina Viera. "Patience and grit will keep us moving forward."
 
Brenau capitalized on the hitting percentage disparity (.245 to .070) to register 12 more kills than Montreat (39-27). The Cavaliers accumulated two additional aces (6-4), while the Golden Tigers managed to do the same with digs (34-32). The hosts owned the edge in both assists (38-25) and blocks (5-0).
 
Davis led the Cavs with nine kills, while Horn contributed eight of her own. Hale, Davis and Katie Alexander each accrued two aces, and both Hale and Horn totaled seven digs. Alexander proved responsible for nearly half (12) of the visitors' 25 assists.
 
Montreat starts a run of three consecutive matches in Columbia, S.C. on Friday with an AAC clash against the Columbia College Koalas. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m.