Milligan Overcomes Early Woes, Beats Bryan in Four Sets

DAYTON, Tenn. – After an early scare on Tuesday night at Bryan College, the Milligan University volleyball squad rallied for three straight set wins after dropping the contest's opener, to win 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-17) over the Lions.

Milligan had their worst set of the evening to open the battle, attacking at only .043 with 13 kills and 11 attacking errors. The slow start put them behind 1-0 with a 25-23 loss to open things.

On the bright side, the Buffaloes' most effective set was the second, where they converted for 18 kills on 39 swings with just four miscues. That helped them tie the festivities with a 25-19 set triumph.

The team stooped back to lower-level production in the third set, but luckily, Bryan did as well. That allowed Milligan to escape with a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth.

Strong attacking would follow, with 14 kills by the Buffs on 33 swings. The set victory clinched the four-set win for the Buffaloes, which was their fifth straight Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) triumph.

Three of Milligan's attackers had standout nights, as Shelby Miller posted a 17-kill performance on 49 swings to hit at .204. Ella Maiden followed suit, notching 15 kills on 32 swings for a .312 clip. Finally, Avery Maiden came away with 13 putaways on 41 tries to round out the trio. Kolbie Greene had 44 assists in the win, and added four setter-dump kills of her own.

Greene's defense has gone above and beyond of late, as she grabbed a double-double by supplying 21 digs on the night to lead the squad. Zoie Larkins added 19 of her own, and A. Maiden picked up 14 to notch a double-double. Riley Brinn had nine digs, while Sierra Still added seven. Miller had a pair of solo blocks, as did E. Maiden and Addison Varney. A multitude of players had block assists, with Varney and A. Maiden having four apiece. E. Maiden had two, while Greene and Miller added one assist each.

Next up for the Buffaloes is a road trip to Brenau in Gainesville, Ga., where Milligan will be shooting to move to 16-7 overall and 11-3 in the AAC standings.