MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat volleyball team squared off against the No. 23-ranked Columbia International University Rams Tuesday night in a battle of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) unbeatens. When the contest came to a close inside McAlister Gymnasium, the visitors walked away with a three-set sweep to keep their perfect conference record intact and drop the Cavaliers to 5-1 (5-1 AAC) on the year.
 
Behind their best attacking set of the night, the hosts managed to trade blows with CIU (16-1, 6-0 AAC) for much of the initial frame. The Cavs racked up 14 kills and hit .200 as a team, both better marks than their counterparts (12 kills, .158 hitting percentage). Elizabeth Harrington and Kamryn Wolf notched kills, while two attack errors contributed to a 4-1 run that helped Montreat even the frame at 18-18; however, the Rams regrouped during a timeout, and they claimed seven of the final 11 points to win the opening set, 25-22.
 
Reese Davis registered a service ace that put the home team on top, 5-4, early in the second frame. That proved to be the Cavaliers' final lead in the set, though, as Columbia International grabbed control of the match from there. Montreat hit negatively in the frame (-.074) thanks in large part to four CIU blocks, and the visitors sprinted to a 25-13 scoreline.
 
The Cavs cleaned up the errors in the third set, totaling 13 kills and a .195 hitting percentage. Despite their best efforts, the Rams saved their most proficient attack for late. Columbia International accrued 18 kills on a .385 hitting percentage to win the set, 25-18, and hand the hosts their first loss of the season.

"We gave it our all and fought hard against a top-ranked team, never backing down and proving we can compete," said head coach Cristina Viera. "I'm proud of the resilience and heart we showed on the court tonight."
 
Wolf delivered a game-high 18 kills while swinging .325. Meanwhile, Katie Alexander (16) and Davis (11) turned in double-digit assist totals. Cate Hale led the Cavaliers with 13 digs.
 
CIU won the match via its advantages in kills (44-32), hitting percentage (.276 to .126), aces (5-3), blocks (9-4), assists (42-31) and digs (47-37).
 
Montreat wraps up its four-match homestand on Friday with a nonconference contest versus Warren Wilson College. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. inside McAlister Gymnasium.