KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— Johnson University swept the Montreat College volleyball team in three sets Friday night at Douglas E. Karnes Arena, winning 25-7, 25-15, 25-12. With the result, the Cavaliers moved to 0-9 overall and in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matches, while the Royals climbed to 17-5 (6-2 AAC) on the year.
The Cavs initially struggled to find their rhythm, conceding the first three points to Johnson due to a pair of attack errors and one kill.
Elizabeth Harrington provided some offensive spark for the visitors with three kills, all assisted by
Cizzie Griffin, trimming the deficit to 6-3 early on.
Despite Montreat's attempts to close the gap, the hosts maintained their lead. A defensive block by
Ruthann Stout and
Madysan Mauney narrowed JU's edge to 7-5 temporarily, but the Royals' persistent attack widened the margin. The Cavaliers called two timeouts in an effort to regroup, yet the home team concluded the frame with 13 unanswered points and a decisive 25-7 advantage.
Montreat opened the second set with a strong start as
Brittany Jack's kill from Griffin set the tone early. The Cavs briefly gained the upper hand with a 4-2 lead, capitalizing on a couple of attack errors; however, Johnson responded with a trio of kills to take a 5-4 advantage, prompting a swift visitors' timeout.
Despite efforts to shift momentum, the Cavaliers couldn't quite piece together a consistent offensive push.
Josie Leatherman,
Genesis Hernandez and
Allie Anderson registered kills via effective attacks, closing the gap at times, but Johnson still extended its lead up to 17-10. The hosts' surge culminated in a 25-15 set win as they closed out the frame by taking five of the final six points.
Leatherman and Harrington delivered kills, assisted by Griffin, early in the third set, keeping the score at 3-2 in Montreat's favor moments after play resumed; however, a series of errors aided Johnson in rattling off nine of the ensuing 11 points to create a 15-6 lead in what proved to be the final set.
Anderson contributed four kills during the third frame, but the Cavs found it difficult to eliminate the gap. Service errors, strong offensive plays and consecutive aces further widened the margin up to 13 points (24-11). The match concluded with Montreat falling in the last frame, 25-12.
"We haven't played to our full potential yet, and we know that," said head coach
Cristina Viera. "The focus now is finding that competitive edge and bringing it every time we step on the court. Tomorrow, we have another opportunity to step up and truly compete."
One of the top teams in the AAC, Johnson flashed its skill and accumulated edges in kills (41-21), assists (37-20), digs (41-27), service aces (6-0), blocks (5-1) and hitting percentage (.378 to .011).
Leatherman led the Cavaliers with six kills, while Anderson notched a career-best five kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Jack recorded the first kill of her collegiate career to go along with four digs defensively.
Taylor Shaw paced the squad with a team-best six digs, enhancing Montreat's back-row performance. Griffin tallied 14 assists, equaling her career high. Stout and Mauney combined for the Cavs' lone block.
Looking ahead, the Montreat volleyball team travels to Barbourville, Ky., to face Union Commonwealth University tomorrow morning. The match is slated for 11 a.m.
