SPARTANBURG, S.C.— The Montreat College volleyball team fell to Spartanburg Methodist College in straight sets Tuesday night at Bridges Arena in Spartanburg, S.C. With frame scores of 25-13, 25-13 and 25-22, the Cavaliers dropped to 0-11 overall and in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action, while the Pioneers moved to 9-14 overall and 4-6 in league play.
 
Montreat opened the first set with a balanced start, as Elizabeth Harrington delivered a kill to equalize early at 1-1. However, SMC soon gained a narrow advantage, moving ahead 3-1. The Cavs responded with points from Harrington and Cizzie Griffin, but the hosts maintained their two-point edge at 6-4.
 
Despite the visitors' efforts, including another kill from Harrington and a block by Josie Leatherman and Ruthann Stout that helped eventually narrow the gap to 16-13, the Pioneers capitalized on Montreat's errors. Spartanburg Methodist extended its lead with nine consecutive points, wrapping up the first set 25-13.
 
The Cavaliers entered the second frame trailing and faced a strong start from SMC, who expanded its lead to 5-1 through a series of errors from the visitors and two successful attacks. Montreat responded with a kill from Harrington, but the Pioneers maintained pressure with multiple scoring plays, pushing their advantage to 10-4.
 
Despite efforts from Stout and Ella Rose Livingston, who also contributed to the away side's attack, the Cavs struggled to shrink the gap. A brief run brought the score to 11-7, but Spartanburg Methodist capitalized on any mistakes and extended the lead with a 9-2 spurt. Montreat called timeouts at crucial junctures, but the Pioneers continued to build momentum with a 20-10 edge.
 
Toward the end of the set, the visitors managed to score with contributions from Genesis Hernandez and Leatherman, but the deficit was too much to overcome. SMC completed the frame with a 25-13 win.
 
Montreat began the third set on a strong note, capitalizing on the hosts' early errors. Leatherman and Griffin led an initial charge, helping the Cavaliers establish a 5-1 lead, their largest of the night. Spartanburg Methodist answered with a series of points, though, leveling the score at 8-8.
 
The visitors regained some momentum midway through the frame with key contributions from Maggie Stewart and Sarah Alderman, and Griffin's ace put the Cavs back in front 16-15. However, SMC rallied with a late surge, taking advantage of a service error and three straight kills to edge in front at 20-18.
 
Despite Montreat's hopes to eliminate the deficit with points from Stout and Alderman and an Isabella Farmer service ace, the home side maintained its lead. Ultimately, the Pioneers closed out the match by taking the final set 25-22.

"The score didn't reflect it, but we took a step forward as a team," said head coach Cristina Viera. "It wasn't perfect, but we found our unity and pulled together toward a common goal. We'll keep building on that while focusing on controlling our controllables and trusting the process."
 
On the night, Spartanburg Methodist maintained advantages in kills (35-28), assists (31-26), digs (42-31), blocks (11-2), service aces (4-3) and hitting percentage (.268 to .000).
 
Harrington led the Cavaliers with eight kills on 19 attempts, contributing 8.5 points. Griffin facilitated the offense with a team-best 12 assists and two service aces. Farmer showcased her skills, recording eight digs and an assist. Leatherman added seven kills and contributed defensively with two digs.
 
The next challenge for Montreat comes at home as it faces Milligan University on Thursday, Oct. 16. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Asheville Christian Academy Gymnasium in Swannanoa, N.C.