Volleyball defeats Johnson in five sets

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (October 7, 2023) – The Milligan University volleyball team picked up its fourth-straight win with a five-set victory at Johnson on Saturday morning.

The Buffs notched their third road win of the week and completed a season sweep over Johnson. The Buffs move to 15-6 on the season and 9-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action. Johnson falls to 12-6, 6-6 AAC.

Milligan smacked 18 kills in the opening frame on route to a 25-14 set one victory. Johnson evened the match at 1-1 after scoring eight of the final 10 points to win the second set 25-20.

The third set saw the Buffs overcome 13 hitting errors and deficits of 18-14 and 20-18 to force a set point at 24-22. The Royals scored the next three points to earn a set point opportunity of their own. The Buffs fought it off and took a 26-25 edge. Johnson tied the match at 26 but the Buffs scored the final two points to take a 2-1 lead.

Johnson used a 9-2 run to take control of the fourth set and force a decisive fifth set with a 25-22 set victory.

Milligan set season highs in kills (64) and attack errors (35) in the match. The Buffs had a combined 27 kills and four errors in the first and fifth sets and a combined 37 kills and 31 errors in the middle three frames.

Five players notched at least nine kills on the day. Shelby Miller led the Buffs with 16 kills. Avery Maiden had 15 kills, Ella Maiden added 11 kills and both Maidens totaled four blocks. Greyson Stevens and Taylor Pavich both had nine kills.

Kolbie Greene set a career high with 52 assists. She added 19 digs, four aces and three kills on the day. Riley Brinn had 17 digs, Zoie Larkins added 16 digs, Rachel Falin posted 14 digs and Bailey Qualls notched 11 digs.

The fifth set was all Buffs as Milligan scored seven-straight points on their way to establishing an 11-2. Milligan held for a 15-6 victory to secure the Buffs' first five-set win of the season.

The Buffs return to the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse for a Tuesday-evening match against Bryan.