Volleyball defeated in AAC opener at Bluefield.

BLUEFIELD, Va. (September 8, 2022) – The Milligan University volleyball team dropped its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener at Bluefield in three sets on Thursday night.

The Rams (3-5, 1-0 AAC) took the match with a set score line of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-22. Milligan fell to 3-6, 0-1 on the year.

The Buffs owned an early three-point edge in the first set (5-2) but was unable to extend its advantage beyond three points. After the game was tied at nine, 10 and 11, Bluefield reeled off a four-point spurt and never trailed again. Bluefield scored the final four points of the set to take the first game 25-17 after never leading by more than six points until the final points.

The second set saw another Bluefield run around the 10-point mark. After trailing 11-9, Bluefield scored the next eight points to lead 17-11. Milligan made a late push by surviving three set points but fell 25-18 in set two.

The Buffs and Rams were tied at 10 and 12 in the third set before a 5-1 Milligan run prompted a Bluefield timeout with the Buffs leading 17-13. Riley Brinn, Kira Ryan and Sarah Grace Larkey had kills in the spurt and Ella Maiden recorded two blocks. Following the Rams timeout, Bluefield quickly narrowed the margin to two (17-15) before Milligan recorded the next three points with a kill from Larkey, an attack error by the Rams and a block by Greyson Stevens and Shelby Miller. Bluefield responded with the next four points to cause a Milligan timeout with the Buffs clinging to a 20-19 edge.

A pair of blocks gave Bluefield its first lead (22-21) since owning a brief 10-9 in the early going and a Milligan attack error led to Milligan's final timeout. Brinn notched a late kill but Bluefield closed out the set and match with a 25-22 third set triumph. The third set was Milligan's most efficient set of the night as the Buffs recorded a game high 12 kills on a .167 hitting percentage.

Milligan boasted a balanced attack with Brinn, Larkey, Stevens and Miller recording four kills apiece. Ella Maiden led the Buffs on the night with five kills and four total blocks.

Kolbie Greene accumulated 20 assists and nine digs. Hannah Holmes led Milligan with 11 digs.

Milligan heads to Kentucky on Saturday to take on Union in another AAC contest.