Volleyball Finishes Time at Milligan Mountain Madness

MILLIGAN, Tenn.- The volleyball team finishes their time at the Milligan Mountain Madness on Saturday. The team took on the Point University Skyhawks and the Shawnee State University Bears.

Match One: vs. Point

After Shante Smith broke a 5-5 tie with a kill, the momentum in the match shifted. Point scored ten consecutive points to move ahead 15-6. TWU was not able to recover, falling in the first set 25-15.

The second set was much closer as the set contained 11 ties. With the score tied 13-13, the next three points went in favor of the Lady Bulldogs, giving them a 16-13 advantage. The lead did not hold for the team though as the opponents came back to win the set 25-23.

Tennessee Wesleyan was not able to take the third set, falling behind early 14-9 after close points. Kills by Janie Merritt and Alley Hibdon were not enough to keep the team close as Point won the third set 25-18 to win the match 3-0.

Amya Sutton and Smith led the offense with eight kills. 

Match Two: vs. Shawnee State

The offense for the Lady Bulldogs came out swinging in the first set, finishing the set with 11 kills on their way to a first-set win. TWU scored the first five points of the set, and a kill by Olivia Miller made the score 7-3. A service ace by Sydney Nyitrai a few moments later helped the team lead 12-3 and back-to-back kills by Sutton moved the score to 18-8. TWU went on to win the first set 25-13.

A kill by Morae Owens put the team on the board in the second set. The offense for TWU did not take off like it did in the first set, but the team remained in control of the set, holding an 18-15 lead after a Merritt kill. Kills by Olivia Bolin, Jia Weathersby, and Sutton helped the Lady Bulldogs win the second 25-22 to take a 2-0 lead in the set. Tennessee Wesleyan had 14 kills in the set.

With their 2-0 lead intact, a momentum shift occurred. Shawnee State won the next two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-20 to put the match in a 2-2 tie and force a fifth set.

In the deciding set, the back-and-forth action saw TWU hold a 13-10 lead after a Smith kill. Unfortunately, the opponents scored the next five points to win the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.

Smith had a career-high 18 kills in the match. 

TWU returns home for a doubleheader day on Saturday with matches against Georgetown College (3:30 p.m.) and Keiser University (6:00 p.m.).