COLUMBIA, S.C. – A narrow set one loss set the tone for Truett McConnell women's volleyball (14-5, 4-1 AAC) in a 3-0 (30-28, 25-15, 25-16) loss to Columbia International University (7-10, 3-2 AAC) Tuesday night.
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It's the first Appalachian Athletic Conference loss of the season for the Lady Bears, ending the six-match winning streak they had entering the contest. For the Rams, they climb above .500 in AAC play for the first time this season.
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Alexis Mills had a career night for TMU as the freshman collected a season-best 16 kills through three sets.
Grace Lamontagne lead with 17 assists while
Adleigh Schwier produced 12 digs.
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The Rams took control early in the first set with a 10-5 lead, but a 5-1 run, powered by two kills be Mills, springboarded the Lady Bears back into it. A 4-1 by the home team, all points result of a kill, put it in front by five. TMU responded with a 4-1 run of its own, with three of the four points scored via a Mills kill.
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Four unanswered points by the Lady Bears tied the set at 23-23. With a one-point Ram lead late, two combined kills by Mills and Fisher put the away team within setpoint and forced a CIU timeout. The home squad rallied and scored four of the final five points, capturing the set and making it a 1-0 match lead.
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Both teams battled to a 5-5 tied in set two before six unanswered points by CIU gave them an 11-5 advantage. Another scoring run, this time 5-1, put the Rams further ahead by nine. The Lady Bears narrowed the gap to within six late in the set, but four consecutive points by the home team secured the set and a 2-0 match score for the Rams.
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The third set started close with an 8-6 score in favor of the Rams, but a 4-0 run put them further ahead with a six-point margin. CIU controlled the tempo of the set, leading by as much as ten points late. A final kill sealed the match as TMU fell in three.
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The Lady Bears return back to Harris Athletic Complex as they will host Tennessee Wesleyan Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
