MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Johnson University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup Friday evening. The Cavaliers recorded 32 kills and hit .034, while the Royals posted 41 kills at a .165 clip to claim set victories of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21. With the result, the Cavs fell to 4-11 overall (2-7 AAC), while JU improved to 8-10 (6-3 AAC).
Montreat traded points with Johnson early in the opening set, as Bonnie Trautman, Rafaela Scherer, Brittany Jack and Maggie Furches each recorded kills to keep the Cavaliers close. A Trautman-Furches block cut the deficit to 11-8 before the Royals extended their lead to 20-12. With Taylor Shaw serving, the Cavs rallied for four consecutive points, capitalizing on three visitor attack errors and an Elizabeth Harrington kill to pull within 20-17. Trautman and Scherer followed with consecutive kills to make it 23-21, but the visiting team claimed the final two points for a 25-21 win.
The hosts answered Johnson's swift scoring in set two with a Trautman-Furches block and a Jack service ace to even the frame at 2-2. The Royals then surged ahead 8-2 and built an 11-4 advantage before the Cavaliers began to close the gap. Blocks involving Harrington and Ruthann Stout helped fuel the comeback, while three consecutive visitor attack errors and a Josie Leatherman kill off a Katie Alexander assist brought the Cavs within two at 16-14. Leatherman added another kill off a Jack assist before Stout connected on a kill, which was set up by Shaw, to even the score. JU regained the lead late and secured a 25-20 victory by seizing the final four points.
Montreat stayed even with the Royals early in the third set, using kills from Leatherman and Harrington, along with several Johnson attack errors, to achieve a 6-5 lead. Scherer, Leatherman and Harrington continued to contribute offensively, with Harrington recording three kills between the Cavaliers' 12th and 14th points.
The away side created separation later in the frame, opening a 22-16 advantage. The Cavs responded with kills from Alexander and Harrington, along with another Royals attack error, to trim the deficit to 22-19. Montreat survived two match points, but JU claimed the third and final match point to finish the contest with a 25-21 set victory.
The Cavaliers held a 2-1 advantage in service aces, while Johnson led in kills (41-32), blocks (5-4), assists (40-29), digs (50-47) and hitting percentage (.165 to .034).
Harrington led Montreat with nine kills and 10 points, while Shaw recorded 16 assists and six digs. Leatherman added seven kills, and Alexander finished with nine assists and nine digs. Isabella Farmer matched Alexander with nine digs. Trautman contributed five kills, one service ace and two block assists. Furches and Harrington also notched a pair of blocks.
The Cavs return to McAlister Gymnasium tomorrow afternoon to host Union Commonwealth University. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.
