The volleyball team played their first of two Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matches in Columbia, S.C., on Friday. The first match saw the team take on the Columba International University Lady Rams, the No. 25 team in the NAIA.
A kill by Shante Smith and a block solo by Amya Sutton helped the team put the first set in a 3-3 tie. Sutton followed with a kill to make it a 4-4 tie before the opponents broke the tie, pulling ahead 9-4. TWU battled back to pull within three points of the deficit but could not pull closer, falling in the first set 25-15.
Two kills by Madison Coffey helped the Lady Bulldogs lead 3-2 in the second set. Tennessee Wesleyan stayed in front of the score over the next few points by holding a 7-6 advantage. Columbia International turned the momentum in their favor though, scoring five straight points to take an 11-7 lead. The team came back to within two points and three points of the lead on two different occasions. Unfortunately, the opponents did not let the Lady Bulldogs any closer, taking the second set 25-19.
The third set saw the Lady Rams score five of the first six points on their way to a 9-4 lead. TWU trailed for most of the set before scoring five straight points to move ahead 18-17. The team saw points from Coffey, Sutton, and Kali Bowie during their five-point rally which gave them the lead. The teams battled over the next few points with three more ties occurring. The final tie, a 21-21 score, was broken by Columbia International on their way to a 25-22 third set win and a 3-0 match victory.
Sutton led the offense with nine kills in the contest while Olivia Bolin had a team-high 13 assists and nine digs.
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