Buffs fall to first-place Bryan 3-0

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (September 27, 2022) – The Milligan University volleyball team was defeated by Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Bryan College 3-0 in Tuesday evening's match at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. 

Milligan falls to 14-20 (5-2 AAC) while Bryan remains undefeated in conference play and climbs to 14-2 overall (8-0 AAC).

Bryan started off hot, scoring six of the match. The Buffs then answered scoring four of the next five to trim the Lions lead to three (7-4). After falling behind 12-8, Milligan fought back to tie the match with a 4-0 run. The Buffs took their first lead of the match 15-14 during a stretch in which they scored six straight as they extended their advantage to four points (18-14). The Lions then bounced back to score eight of the next 11 to retake the lead 22-21. An Ella Maiden kill tied the match once again at 22 apiece before Bryan scored three consecutive to take set one.

Set two began much of the same way as set one with the Lions scoring six of the first seven. After cutting the Bryan lead down to three (10-7), the Lions reeled off five straight points and eight of the next ten to make it an 18-9 match. The Buffs clawed their way back to a five point deficit (20-15) by scoring six of the next eight before Bryan scored the last five points of the set to take a 2-0 lead.

Over the course of the third set, the match saw nine ties in addition to ten lead changes as Milligan would not go away quietly. The Lions climbed out to an early seven to three lead in the third before the Buffs scored five of the next six to knot the match up at eight points. Following an attacking error from Bryan, the Buffs took their first lead of the set (9-8). A three-nothing run from both teams ensued with Shelby Miller knocking down two of those points. Milligan fell behind by two (16-14) before Greyson Stevens came away with two clutch kills to tie the match once again. After the Buffs fell behind 20-18, they reeled off four of the next five to take the lead 22-21. Bryan responded by scoring four in a row to take the match 3-0.

The trio of Sarah Grace Larkey, Maiden, and Miller led the Buffs offensively with nine, eight, and seven kills respectively. Kolbie Greene racked up a double-double with 24 assists and ten digs. Paxton Adkins finished with a team-high 14 digs to lead the Buffs on the defensive side.

Milligan will travel to the AAC's other unbeaten team in league play, No. 22 CIU, on Friday at 6:30 p.m.