CLEVELAND, Ga.— Hitting the road for the first time this season, the Montreat volleyball team took a trip to Cleveland, Ga. Tuesday night for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) match between the Cavaliers and the Truett McConnell University Bears. Unfazed by the road trip, the visitors secured a four-set win to improve to 3-0 (3-0 AAC) on the year. This marks the first time the Cavs have started a season 3-0 overall since 2013, and it's their first 3-0 start in conference play since 2019.
Truett McConnell (2-10, 0-3 AAC) traded blows with Montreat in the opening set. The two sides tied on 11 separate occasions in the first frame, but
Kamryn Wolf, the reigning WinWon AAC Women's Volleyball Attacker of the Week, proved to be the difference early on. In what was only the beginning of a massive night for Wolf, the Lambertville, Mich. native registered seven of the Cavaliers' 14 kills in the set.
Reese Davis and
Maggie Stewart notched kills to ultimately close out a narrow 25-23 frame.
Attempting to bounce back, the Bears established an 8-4 edge during the second set's early moments. Despite their best efforts, the hosts still had no answer for Wolf, who tallied six swift kills to level the set at 10-10. Three consecutive Wolf attacks handed Montreat a 21-20 advantage late in the frame, and, after TMU survived two set points, Wolf closed out the 26-24 frame with back-to-back kills. The visitors racked up 18 kills in the set, 11 of which came via Wolf.
Dating back to its season opener, Montreat had won eight straight sets across three matches. That run came to an end in the third frame on Tuesday. The Cavs maintained a 5-1 lead moments into the set, but Truett McConnell found the resolve it needed to keep the match alive. The Bears outhit their counterparts by a significant margin (.148 to -.147), and they captured 15 of the final 20 points to prolong the contest, 25-16.
Mustering a response to quell any hope of a comeback, Wolf and the Cavaliers slammed the door shut in the fourth. Montreat saved its most efficient attack for last by recording a .324 hitting percentage in the final set. The visitors grew the lead to as large as 18-11, and three consecutive Wolf kills ended the match via a 25-17 fourth frame.
"The team did a great job adjusting to a loud and tough environment," said head coach
Cristina Viera. "We were able to find the open spots on the court and stayed aggressive throughout the game."
Wolf's final surge eclipsed her previous single-game career-best kills mark by one. The senior totaled 29 kills, the most by a Montreat volleyball player since Nov. 1, 2007, when Allison Baumgartner accrued 31 kills in a five-set triumph over Covenant College. Wolf also added 13 digs to achieve her initial double-double of the year.
Katie Alexander (26 assists, 16 digs) and Davis (14 assists, 16 digs) also delivered double-double performances Tuesday night. Meanwhile,
Cate Hale led all players with a career-high 24 digs.
On the team level, the Cavs had more kills (51-35), blocks (6-3), assists (51-33) and digs (86-71) than their opponents.
Montreat makes its way back to McAlister Gymnasium on Friday for the start of Homecoming & Family Weekend. The Cavaliers kick off the festivities by hosting Bryan College at 5 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.
