-Photo by Ryan C. Harris
Brian Goad
Reporter
October 28, 2005
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The Lady Buffs huddle up before they take the win from Montreat.
-Photo by Ryan C. Harris |
On Saturday the Milligan Lady Buffs volleyball team beat the Montreat (N.C.) Lady Cavaliers in a 3-2 Appalachian Athletic Conference victory.
After leading Montreat in the first match and winning 30-26, the Lady Buffs were neck-and-neck with the Lady Cavs through the next two games.
“We knew coming in today that it was going to be a real battle,” said Kim Hyatt, the Lady Buffs’ head coach.
“The game was a little stressful,” said sophomore defensive specialist Emily Rigney. “It was a big match. There were a lot of big plays.”
Though they played hard in the second game, the Lady Buffs lost in a grueling struggle, 28-30.
The third game was no better. Milligan and Montreat fought it out, tying with each other back and forth until they were 18-18. Montreat finally defeated the Buffs, 25-30.
However, the tides turned in the fourth match when the Lady Buffs took an early lead and went on to defeat the Cavs in a 30-24 drive.
“The rhythms are really interesting in volleyball,” said Milligan athletics fan and humanities professor, Dr. Tim Dillon. “You’ll see them play really well for six to 10 points, and then someone will make a mistake and the whole team will mess up. There is no reason for it. It’s just fascinating.”
With the match tied at 2-2, the fifth and final game was a tiebreaker, which meant the first team to 15, winning by at least two points, would take the match.
Like games two and three, this was a heated showdown; both teams went back and forth aggressively.
Fans erupted in cheers as the Lady Buffs made the game winning point in a 15-13 victory.
The Lady Buffs had several crucial kills that helped win them the game. Junior Tara Earhart led the team with 15 kills. Sophomore Amanda Hyder followed closely with 14 kills. Sophomore Ashley Lokken and junior Allison Langrel contributed to the team with a total of 23 kills.
Freshman Christy Degen defended the Lady Buffs with 26 digs. Hyder also dashed out 18 digs, alongside sophomore Alyssa Graber who had 17 digs.
Sophomore Alison Slagle served up two aces, and Jamie Sly set the team with 57 assists.
“Our defense was good today,” said Hyatt. “I’m real happy with (the team’s) dedication.”
With this victory, the Milligan Lady Buffs’ record improved to 14-8 overall. They are currently ranked third in the AAC standings. The Lady Buffs faced off against Virginia Intermont College 3-2 on Tuesday, bringing their overall record to 15-8 for the season.