[Volleyball] Graham reaches 3,000 career assists in volleyball's tri-match

MONTREAT, N.C. – Volleyball split their matches in Saturday's tri-match as they opened with a five-set loss to Appalachian Athletic Conference opponent Bluefield (25-20, 25-19, 14-25, 16-25, 13-15), and finished with a sweep over Regent (25-12, 25-18, 25-13). The Cavs are currently sitting at 11-15 (6-7 AAC). An exciting milestone happened as senior Abby Graham reached the 3,000 career assists mark in the Regent sweep.

"Seeing Abby get her 3,000th career assist was really exciting. Getting 3,000 assists in a career for a setter is a huge deal. She has ran a 5-1 and a 6-2 offense, so for her to get to this point with running a mixture of both offenses is an even bigger deal," said head coach Kristy Kamer. Graham reached the milestone in the third set against Regent.

Match One vs. Bluefield

The Cavs came out strong against the Rams, winning the first two sets, but the Rams won three straight sets to come back and take the match.

"We came out strong, and we just didn't stay consistent enough to pull out the win in that match. That's what we really need to work on is level consistency," said Coach Kamer.

China Brown-Woolfolk led the attack with 12 kills, as Vivica Nogueira led defensively with 22 digs. Abby Graham posted a team-high 24 assists.

Match Two vs. Regent

Montreat responded to the loss against Bluefield with a sweep over Regent in their second match of the day.

"It felt really phenomenal to come back with a sweep," said Coach Kamer. "I was really proud of them because we could have come out dead, but we came in, worked on things we talked about, and stayed at the level we wanted. Everyone got to play. I put people at different positions, and it was pretty good."

Taylor Rouse posted the team-high in kills with 12 and only one error for a .579 hitting percentage. Graham once again led the team in assists with 28, also posting five digs for the Cavs. Nogueira and Hannah Wyngarden had five digs as well.

"I hope this gives them a lot of confidence and shows them that no matter who is across us in the NAIA, we can take care of business," said Coach Kamer.

Up Next: The Cavs are set to host Tennessee Wesleyan Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. ET.