BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (October 14, 2023) - On Saturday, the Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team traveled to compete in an Appalachian Athletic Conference match-up against Union College, where the Lady Bears fought hard through five sets, ultimately proving capable to secure the win, 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-14, 24-26, 15-11). TMU rises to an overall record of 19-8, 12-3 AAC while UC falls to a record of 8-15, 8-7 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
In the first set, UC was first to move, the Lady Bears were not shaken as a five-point rally, featuring kills by Katie Williams and Leah Bowen, paired with a service ace by Sonya Silecky, put TMU in the lead by four. The Lady Bears continued to attack with kills by Ranavia Neal and Jordan Roberts, when two final kills by Williams and Silecky gave TMU what was needed to secure the win, 25-15. In the second set the Lady Bears were first on the board with back-to-back kills by Leah Bowen. A seven-point rally by the Bulldogs gave UC a marginal lead, leaving TMU behind early. Kills by Williams, Roberts and Rylee Simpson attempted to bridge the gap but was ultimately not enough, falling in set two 19-25. 

Set three saw the Lady Bears once again up first with an eight-point rally featuring a kill and solo block by Roberts. The Bulldogs attempted to recover from the large scoring deficit but were ultimately unsuccessful as a final kill by Simpson pushed the Lady Bears ahead, 25-14. In set four TMU was once again first on the board with a kill by Leah Bowen. The set remained evenly matched until a four-point rally by UC gave the Bulldogs a small lead. The Lady Bears continued to work hard as a kill by Rachel Kessler attempted to push TMU ahead but ultimately was not enough, falling 26-24, in set four.

In the final set, TMU was once again the first to move. An early three-point rally, featuring a kill by Williams put the Lady Bears ahead by three. TMU continued to increase the scoring gap, proving to be a fierce competitor with kills by Roberts and a solo block by Williams. A final kill by Neal followed by a service ace by Madyson Dunn ultimately gave the Lady Bears the win, 15-11.

LEADERS
Roberts led the way with 12 kills, one solo block, and a block assists. Williams followed with 12 kills and one solo block, while Neal recorded nine kills and two solo blocks. Kessler tallied 17 digs while Simpson had 40 assists. 

UP NEXT
The Lady bears will travel to Reinhardt University on Tuesday, October 17, to take on the Eagles in an AAC match-up. Match time set for 6:30 p.m.