MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Reinhardt University on Friday evening in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup inside McAlister Gymnasium. The Eagles claimed the contest by scores of 25-9, 25-14 and 25-20.
Montreat recorded 25 kills and posted a -.022 hitting percentage, while RU tallied 34 kills and hit .267. With the result, the Cavaliers moved to 3-6 (1-2 AAC) on the season, and the Eagles improved to 9-3 (4-0 AAC).
The hosts opened the first set with points coming from a Reinhardt attack error and a Josie Leatherman kill, which was assisted by Katie Alexander. The Eagles responded with a five-point run to take a 6-2 lead before Leatherman added another kill to halt the stretch. Elizabeth Harrington and Bonnie Trautman followed later in the frame with consecutive kills as Montreat worked to cut into the deficit, but the visitors maintained control and led 14-6.
The Eagles extended their advantage with lengthy service runs and several Cav attack errors, prompting Montreat timeouts as the deficit grew to 17-6. Judah Reece added a late kill, and the Cavaliers gained another point on a Reinhardt attack error, but RU was able to close out the set, 25-9.
Leatherman answered the visitors' opening point with a kill, this time assisted by Taylor Shaw, prior to adding another finish off a feed from Alexander. Those attacks helped bring the Cavaliers within 10-6. Harrington followed with a Shaw-assisted kill to cut the deficit to three.
Reinhardt responded with five consecutive points to seize a 15-7 edge before Harrington slowed the run with another kill off a Shaw pass. The hosts continued to battle as Harrington and Reece combined for a block before Reece added a kill of her own, trimming the margin to 16-11 in the process. The Eagles responded with a six-point span and held control the rest of the way, securing the set at 25-14.
The Cavs stayed within striking distance early in the final frame before Reinhardt used a mid-set run to extend its lead from 11-8 to 16-8. The Eagles later pushed their advantage out to 21-13, but the home team answered with four straight points to claw back within four. Trautman started the run with a kill before Alexander followed with a service ace. Rafaela Scherer and Reece capped the stretch with kills, the former assisted by Alexander and the latter assisted by Allie Anderson. The visitors held off the late push, though, securing a 25-20 victory to clinch the match.
Montreat held the edge in digs on Friday evening, recording 38 compared to RU's 36. The visitors finished with advantages in kills (34-25), service aces (6-2), blocks (7-1), assists (32-24) and attacking percentage (.267 to -.022).
Leatherman led the Cavs with seven kills while hitting .211. Reece added six kills and one block assist, while Anderson collected a team-high 12 digs and added three helpers. Shaw and Alexander finished each ended with 10 assists, while Alexander also contributed three digs and one service ace.
The Cavaliers have a quick turnaround as they welcome Brenau University to McAlister Gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 19. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.
