Volleyball Marches on After Tough Buffalo Test

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. – Milligan (Tenn.) gave Reinhardt all it could handle in its own gym on Saturday morning as the Buffaloes pushed the Eagles in all facets of the game before eventually being swept away, 3-0 (31-29,25-20,25-14).
 
The hometown team was able to fend off a furious opening set competition to improve to 14-2 on the season and open Appalachian Athletic Conference play with a perfect 8-0 record so far.
 
The visitors were able to take an early lead in every game played on Saturday, including the dramatic opening frame were both squads had multiple chances to take a 1-0 advantage in the match. Milligan was able to pull ahead, 8-4, before Reinhardt tallied five in-a-row to move ahead. From there, separation of the two teams was at a minimum the rest of the set.
 
The Buffaloes and Eagles would put pressure on each other to perform under pressure, as again and again each club was on the doorstep of being triumphant. Milligan had set point multiple times, including 29-28, but three-consecutive kills by Reinhardt sent the team to victory.
 
The guests again had a four-point advantage in the next stanza (8-4) but found themselves back in a battle at 12-12. The Eagles would come back to take a brief lead before taking off on their opposition with six-straight tallies with the game tied at 16. The six-point lead, now 22-16, was too much for Milligan to overcome en route to a 25-20 loss and a 2-0 disadvantage.
 
Reinhardt was able to ride the momentum into a sweep as the Eagles never looked back in set three following a 10-4 opening. The hometown squad hit .360 in the stanza with 11 kills (out of 44 total), while the defense allowed only 14 points in the final set.
 
Tessa Colden nearly had another double-double with 11 digs and nine kills – tied with Brittany Taksas for team-best – and Mar Vives also had 11 defensive receptions in the win.
 
Carlee Baxter and Erinn Marroquin both registered 19 assists to keep the offense flowing to victory.
 
Scoring Leaders Against the Buffaloes
Kills       Tessa Colden (9), Brittany Taksas (9), Courtney Pressley (8)
Aces      Tessa Colden (2), Alma Vazquez-Nunez (2), Mar Vives (1)
Blocks   Brittany Taksas (5), Shadaisha Summerall (2), Allison Selway (2)
Assists  Carlee Baxter (19), Erinn Marroquin (19), Mar Vives (2)
Digs       Tessa Colden (11), Mar Vives (11), Holly Heath (6)
 
The third match of the homestand – Columbia (S.C.) – is up next for Reinhardt on Tuesday night at home.
 
First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram. 

For more information on Reinhardt Women's Volleyball, please click here.