BARBOURVILLE, Ky.— With just over a week remaining in the regular season, the Montreat volleyball team traveled to Barbourville, Ky. for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match versus the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs. While the Cavaliers battled valiantly, they came up just short over the course of four sets and fell to 8-8 (8-8 AAC) in the process.
 
Karly Horn tallied a block and a kill as the visitors won the initial three points in the opening set. A pair of Reese Davis kills maintained the three-point edge at 5-2; however, Union Commonwealth (14-16, 12-8 AAC) captured 15 of the ensuing 19 points to swing the frame in its favor (17-9). The Bulldogs led by as many as eight points on three separate occasions as they secured the first set via a 25-17 scoreline.
 
The second frame played out similarly to the first. Two errors coupled with two kills from Elizabeth Harrington put Montreat on top, 4-2, in the set's early moments. After a back-and-forth stretch in which the two teams traded points, UCU utilized another strong span to seize control of the frame. The Bulldogs won 13 of 17 points, catapulting themselves out to a 21-12 lead before eventually claiming the set, 25-16.
 
Union Commonwealth got out to a quick start in the third frame by winning five of the first six points, but the visitors answered with two Davis attacks and a 5-0 spurt to achieve their first lead of the set, 6-5. In a frame that featured 14 ties, Davis, Cate Hale, Harrington and Horn kept the Cavs alive in the match. Davis totaled her 13^th kill of the day during the set, Hale added a service ace that gave Montreat the edge and both Harrington and Horn contributed kills to put the frame away, 25-23.
 
The hosts seemed poised to run away with the fourth set as they swiftly jumped out to a 10-4 lead. The Cavaliers never gave up, however, making multiple rallies to nearly force a fifth and final frame. Down 24-18, Montreat survived six match points to level the score. Twice more, the visitors fended off match points, momentarily keeping the contest going. Unfortunately for the Cavs, UCU eventually paid off its ninth opportunity, clinching the conference showdown with a 28-26 fourth set.
 
"We may have fallen 3-1, but I'm incredibly proud of the way our team fought with heart," said head coach Cristina Viera. "Coming back from a 24-18 deficit to push the set to 28-26 shows our resilience and determination. We earned every single point and came so close to forcing a fifth set."
 
Davis tied for a match-high with her career-best 17 kills, and she added 11 digs to complete the double-double. Horn (15 kills) and Harrington (14 kills) also flexed their offensive prowess, while Horn accrued a double-double via 15 digs. Katie Alexander led the way with 38 assists as she too achieved a double-double thanks to 16 digs. Hale set a new career high as well by registering a match-best 30 digs.
 
The Cavaliers accumulated more kills (49-46) and digs (93-86) than their counterparts, but they also were credited with nearly twice as many attack errors (41-21). As a result, the Bulldogs owned a .137 to .041 hitting percentage edge.
 
Montreat visits Reinhardt University on Tuesday for the first of two consecutive days in which the Cavs take on the Eagles in conference play. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Waleska, Ga.