Volleyball downs Shawnee State and Union at Rio Grande

RIO GRANDE, Ohio (September 1, 2023) – The Milligan University volleyball team won six-straight sets to secure wins over Shawnee State and Union on the first day of the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic at Rio Grande.

The Buffs earned their third and fourth-straight wins to move to 4-2 on the season.

Game 1 – Milligan 3, Shawnee State 1 (23-25, 27-25, 25-12, 25-16)

The first two sets saw the Buffs and Bears trade slim two-point wins before Milligan rolled to comfortable margins in the third and fourth frames to secure the match.

Avery Maiden, Ella Maiden and Taylor Pavich each notched double-digit kills. Avery Maiden led the way with 12 kills on 27 swings (.407) and five total blocks. Ella Maiden had 11 kills and five total blocks. Pavich had 10 kills without an error. Greyson Stevens joined both Maidens with five total blocks.

The Buffs combined for 11 total blocks in the game and hit .312 as a team with 51 kills and 11 errors. The match marked the third time this season the Buffs recorded double-digit blocks.

Kolbie Greene racked up 46 assists, three kills and three total blocks. Zoie Larkins led Milligan with 17 digs.

Game 2 – Milligan 3, Union 0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-19)

What was slated to be an 8:00 p.m. match began over two hours later due to lengthy matches in the lower gymnasium at Rio Grande. Despite both teams being Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) squads, the match did not count toward the league standings. Milligan opens conference play in a rematch with Union next Saturday.

The Buffs blitzed Union in the first set with 16 kills and took advantage of double-digit Bulldog errors in each of the last two sets to earn the three-set win.

Shelby Miller led the Buffs with 12 kills at a .348 clip. Ella Maiden had eight kills, four service aces and two blocks. Greene notched 20 kills, eight digs, four kills and two aces. Larkins chipped in with eight digs.

The Buffs conclude the Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic with matches against host Rio Grand and Point Park.