Men's volleyball edged by UT on senior night
Seniors Andrew Simonsen and Christopher Shaw played in their final match on their home court, and despite fighting hard and staying close in every set, the Milligan College men's volleyball saw its four-match winning streak snap as it fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) to the University of Tennessee's club team Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
March 3, 2016
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (March 3, 2016) – Seniors Andrew Simonsen and Christopher Shaw played in their final match on their home court, and despite fighting hard and staying close in every set, the Milligan College men's volleyball saw its four-match winning streak snap as it fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) to the University of Tennessee's club team Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
Simonsen led the Buffaloes defense with a team-high in digs for the third straight match, this time hauling in eight. Junior Hobie Vannoy had his second straight 30-plus assist match as he dished out 31 helpers.
Fellow junior, Nathan Gibson, led Milligan in assists with 12, and was also one of four Buffs with two block assists as Luke Dove had two, Joshua Foote had three, and Drew Doehring had four. Additionally, Foote added two solo blocks and nine kills, while Jacob Smith rounded out the Milligan attack with eight kills and five digs.
Despite leading 23-18 in the opening set thanks in large part to three 4-0 runs, Milligan's 11-set win streak was snapped as UT went off for seven straight points to take the set. The Buffs led by as many as seven twice in the game (13-6 and 21-14).
The two teams combined for seven straight kills to kick off set number two, and then later toward the middle of the set, a another run of seven consecutive kills occurred as a part of a stretch where 13 of 15 points came via the kill. After Milligan led by seven in the first set, UT led by seven in the second at 14-7 before the Buffs got it down to three twice at 20-17 and 21-18.
In the final game, neither team led by more than two until UT went up 17-14. Then, trailing 20-16, the Buffs went on a 5-1 spurt, capped by a block by Foote, to tie it. The scored then knotted at 22-22 after a kill by Gibson, but in the end, it would not be enough as Milligan could not get over the hump.
Next up, Milligan's final match of the season will see the Buffs travel to Dayton, Tennessee, for the second time this year in what will also be their third matchup with Bryan College on the season, both of which have been won by Milligan. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15.
Simonsen led the Buffaloes defense with a team-high in digs for the third straight match, this time hauling in eight. Junior Hobie Vannoy had his second straight 30-plus assist match as he dished out 31 helpers.
Fellow junior, Nathan Gibson, led Milligan in assists with 12, and was also one of four Buffs with two block assists as Luke Dove had two, Joshua Foote had three, and Drew Doehring had four. Additionally, Foote added two solo blocks and nine kills, while Jacob Smith rounded out the Milligan attack with eight kills and five digs.
Despite leading 23-18 in the opening set thanks in large part to three 4-0 runs, Milligan's 11-set win streak was snapped as UT went off for seven straight points to take the set. The Buffs led by as many as seven twice in the game (13-6 and 21-14).
The two teams combined for seven straight kills to kick off set number two, and then later toward the middle of the set, a another run of seven consecutive kills occurred as a part of a stretch where 13 of 15 points came via the kill. After Milligan led by seven in the first set, UT led by seven in the second at 14-7 before the Buffs got it down to three twice at 20-17 and 21-18.
In the final game, neither team led by more than two until UT went up 17-14. Then, trailing 20-16, the Buffs went on a 5-1 spurt, capped by a block by Foote, to tie it. The scored then knotted at 22-22 after a kill by Gibson, but in the end, it would not be enough as Milligan could not get over the hump.
Next up, Milligan's final match of the season will see the Buffs travel to Dayton, Tennessee, for the second time this year in what will also be their third matchup with Bryan College on the season, both of which have been won by Milligan. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15.