Lions Sweep Milligan On Senior Day
MARS HILL, N.C.-- Mars Hill's volleyball team swept Milligan 3-0 on Senior Day in a non-conference match in Stanford Arena.
MARS HILL, N.C.-- Mars Hill's volleyball team swept Milligan 3-0 on Senior Day in a non-conference match in Stanford Arena.
The Lions won in straight sets, 26-24, 25-13, 25-22. Seniors Hillary Gambrell, Toni Cole, Marissa Wixson and Maggie Murphy were honored prior to the final home match of their Lion careers. The four players combined for 36 kills, 25 digs and six service aces in the victory. Samantha Bruinius notched 14 kills and 10 digs to pace the Buffaloes. Mars Hill improves to 15-9 on the season. Milligan falls to 15-22 overall.
Wixson notched a team-high 17 kills and added eight digs. Cole added 15 kills on an efficient .414 hitting percentage. Murphy notched a team-high 10 digs. Gambrell filled the stat sheet with four kills, seven digs and three aces.
Jessica Davenport and Kylie Whaley added eight kills-apiece for Milligan. Davenport added a match-high 25 assists. Kaitlyn Round notched a match-high 14 digs.
The Lions trailed by as much as four in the first set, but a four point run that included two kills by Cole and a kill by Macomson tied the set at 11-apiece. A kill by Gambrell gave the Lions a 14-13 lead. MHU wouldn't trail the rest of the set. After a kill by Davenport knotted the score at 24-apiece, a kill by Cole and service ace by Victoria Kaiser gave MHU the 26-24 victory.
Milligan took a 9-7 lead in the second set after a kill by Kylinn Brenden, but the Lions outscored the Buffaloes 18-4 the rest of the way. A five-point run featuring an ace by Murphy and kill by Cole gave MHU the lead for good. A later six-point run with Gambrell holding serve put the set out of reach. Two aces by Gambrell, two kills by Wixson and a kill by Cole highlighted the stretch.
Three straight by MHU put the Lions ahead for good, 20-17. Back-to-back kills by Cole opened up the three-point margin. The Buffaloes were able to pull within 23-22, but a kill by Regan Macomson and kill by Wixson closed out the 25-22 victory.
Mars Hill will return to conference play with a match at Tusculum Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m.
