Buffs fall to Point in five sets on the road

WEST POINT, GA (October 30, 2021) — The Milligan University volleyball team fell short in a five-set match against the Point University Skyhawks (25-20,25-20, 16-25, 15-25, 11-15). After going up 2-0, the Buffs lost the next three sets to walk away with a 3-2 defeat on the road.

The loss brings Milligan to an even .500 Appalachian Athletic Conference record of 10-10 (12-18 overall). Point is now a game above .500 in conference play with a record of 10-9 (13-14 overall).

The Buffs came out swinging to begin the match climbing out to a 6-1 lead early in the first set. Midway through the first, the Skyhawks regained the lead 13-12. From that point, Milligan went on a roll offensively and came away with the set victory 25-20.

The second set saw the Buffs go wire-to-wire as they defeated Point 25-20. A defensive clinic from libero Cameron McConnell powered Milligan past the Skyhawks as she racked up 14 digs through two sets to give the Buffs a 2-0 lead.

Point came out on fire with a 6-0 run to begin the third set. Milligan pulled within three points but that was as close as they were able to get as the Skyhawks came away with a 25-16 win.

The Buffs came within two points in the fourth set but ultimately could not keep up with the offensive firepower of the Skyhawks. Point pulled away down the stretch reeling off an 8-3 run to close out the fourth.

The fifth set began with both teams trading points back-and-forth. After a tied match at 10-10, Point scored five of the final six points to defeat Milligan 15-11.

Kolbie Greene put together a nice performance both offensively and defensively coming away with a double-double of 25 assists and 19 digs.

Carley Gregory and Ella Maiden were the only Buffs to record double-digit kills tallying 11 and 10 respectively.

McConnell finished with a season-high 25 digs in the loss while Ashleyn Vandergriff totaled double-digit digs for the second straight game.

The Buffs will conclude the regular-season on Tuesday evening as they go on the road to face Tennessee Wesleyan at 6:30 PM.