CLEVELAND, Ga. – It was a scene of déjà vu for Truett McConnell women's volleyball (14-4, 4-0 AAC) as it captured another 3-2 (25-18, 26-24, 20-25, 16-25, 18-16) victory, this time over Reinhardt (9-4, 4-1 AAC) Saturday afternoon. It's the first time TMU has defeated the Eagles since 2023.
"This win was historic," head coach
Joe Herrera said. "We talked about doing our best and that's what we did today."
The win propels the Lady Bears to second in the Appalachian Athletic Conference standings just behind Pikeville. Reinhardt drops down to third place behind TMU.
Faith Clakrson had her best performance of the season, leading the team with 16 kills on the day.
Julia Fisher (12) and
Alexis Mills (10) also recorded double-digit kills through five sets.
"It was a complete performance by the offense today." Herrera said. "Having it click together the way it did was great to see."
Caroline Yeager also had a stellar game, scoring five aces on the serve and 21 assists on the set. The junior also recorded 15 digs defensively.
Adleigh Schwier added a season-high 25 digs, leading the team.
"We know that defense can win games and it was strong," Herrera said. "They played together and I'm proud of their work."
Truett started off hot with a 6-1 lead in the first set which included five team kills, forcing a Reinhardt timeout. A 6-2 run by the Eagles put them within one point and another 3-2 sequence tied the set.
The Lady Bears produced a 9-2 run to break it open, resulting in a 19-12 score. Reinhardt forced a four-point game late, but three unanswered points ended the set and gave the home team the 1-0 match lead.
Both teams battled in the second set before five straight points put the Eagles on top. Another run, this time 5-1, stretched the Reinhardt lead to seven points before six consecutive scores by the Lady Bears resulted in a 14-13 score.
With the Eagles, a 3-1 run by the home team tied the set late. Both teams went back and forth leading to a 2-423 lead for Reinhardt, but three straight TMU points concluded the second set and put the Eagles' backs against the wall.
Truett led 13-12 midway through the third set before a 5-1 scoring run by Reinhardt gave it a four-point advantage. TMU fought back with a 3-0 run, but the Eagles closed the set out with seven of the next ten scores going in their favor, extending the match to a fourth set.
Both teams were even with a 9-9 score before a 4-0 surge put the away team on top. With the score at 18-14 in favor of the Eagles, a final 7-2 scoring run secured the set for the away squad, resulting in the second five-set match for TMU in as many contests.
The Lady Bears started strong in the last set, securing six of the first seven points. With both teams separate by five points, Reinhardt scored a 4-1 run to draw within two. Truett recovered and forced match point up 14-10, but the Eagles scored five of the next six to force a 15-15 tie.
The score was 16-16 when
Alexis Mills took the match into her own hands, collecting two kills in a row to end the set and the match, giving TMU another statement win.
"It's a great start, but we can't get comfortable," Herrera said. "It's still a very long season ahead."
Truett is back in conference play on Tuesday with a trip to Columbia to take on Columbia International on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.
