CLEVELAND, Ga. (September 22, 2023) – The Truett McConnell University women's volleyball team hosted Appalachian Athletic Conference competitor, Columbia College, and Toccoa Falls College in a weekend tri-match, where the Lady Bears proved victories as they went 2-0 on the day (3TMU – 0CC, 3TMU – 1TFC). TMU is now sitting at an overall record of 11-6, 5-1 AAC.
 
MATCH 1 | TMU vs. Columbia
The first set of the day saw the Lady Bears secure an early lead with a six-point run, featuring multiple kills by Jordan Roberts, Katie Williams and Faith Clarkson. Columbia worked to even the score, but TMU remined persistent with kills by Williams and Sonya Silecky, along with taking advantage of CC errors. The Koalas rallied at the end to get within four of the Lady Bears, ultimately not enough as TMU secured set one with a final kill by Emma Boland (25-20).  
 
The Lady Bears brought the same energy in set two, giving Columbia little hope in clinching their own victory, featuring multiple runs from back-to-back kills by Clarkson, Williams and Roberts. A four-point rally at the end proved in favor of TMU all the way as the home team stole their second win with a final dominating set score of 25-8. At the start of set three, the Koalas showed their grit as they battled TMU's every point, but the Lady Bears were capable of breaking away with five-point run from a kill by Boland and a triple threat of service aces by Deomi Valmus. A sharp kill by Elizabeth Franklin and Boland service ace sealed the deal for TMU in set three to clinch the AAC sweep.
 
LEADERS
Williams led the way with 12 kills, followed by Ranavia Neal and Clarkson who individually tallied nine kills. Valmus recorded five service aces, Rachel Kessler recorded 14 digs, Rylee Simpson recorded 15 assists and Boland rounded out the highlights for TMU with 18 assists and eight digs.
 
MATCH 2 | TMU vs. Toccoa Falls
The Lady Bears were hot out of the gates in match two, setting the pace with an eight-point rally, ignited by kills from Roberts and Williams. Toccoa worked to chip at the score, but it was ultimately no hope as TMU could not be stopped after recording a game changing seven-point run (16-2). Kills by Neal and Silecky gave the Lady Bears a 15-point lead, while an Eagles error and Kessler service ace secured a dominating win in set one (25-8).
 
Set two saw the Eagles change in pace as they battled the Lady Bears every point, capable of getting ahead by four (1-5). A strong rally by TMU evened the play (7-7), but the Eagles did not give in, pushing the set to be determined in the final points, coming out on top 22-25. TMU fought back in set three, challenging the Eagles gain in speed with strong runs of their own. A kill by Clarkson sparked a six-point rally for the Lady Bears, while kills by Neal and Williams kept the momentum rolling as TMU stole set three (25-13). The fourth and final set saw the Lady Bears stay sharp, getting ahead by six at the start, followed by a five-point run to increase the gap to nine (13-9). Toccoa fought back with a five-point run of their own, but it proved no match for TMU as final kills from Roberts and Williams clinched the final set win of the day with a score of 25-21.
 
LEADERS
Williams once again led the way with 13 kills, 10 digs and three blocks, while Neal had 11 kills and three blocks. Roberts recorded nine kills and four blocks, followed by Boland who tallied 34 assists and 14 digs.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Bears hit the road to face St. Andrews University in an AAC battle on Tuesday, September 26, with match time set for 6:30 p.m.