ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – University of Montevallo volleyball coach Katie O'Brien picked up career win number 300 in the Falcons' 3-2 win on the road Sept. 26 at Flagler College in a Peach Belt Conference match.
Montevallo outlasted the Saints 26-24, 27-25, 15-25, 18-25, 15-10 to improve to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in Peach Belt Conference play this season while extending its current winning streak to seven matches.
O'Brien, in her seventh season as the head coach of the Falcons, has registered 122 of her 300 career wins at Montevallo. O'Brien picked up her first 178 wins as the head coach at Piedmont College, where she was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2013.
Sophomore Chandler Cooper led the Falcons with 15 kills in the victory over the Saints.
Junior Rebekah Phelps added 14 kills and 12 digs as she posted her fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Kristy Bohan contributed 11 kills, while senior Sarah Guidry finished with 10 kills and 17 digs to record her sixth double-double of the year. Fellow senior Katie Best registered eight kills.
Junior Briana Marquez finished with 46 assists and 12 digs while posting her fifth double-double of the season.
Junior Carissa Bell finished with a team-high 21 digs, while fellow junior Nicole Holton recorded 13 digs.
Flagler opened the first set with a 4-1 run, capped with a kill by Genel Sturgeon. Montevallo quickly reeled off a 3-0 run of its own, capped with a kill by Guidry, to even the set. The margin remained within two points in the remainder of the tightly contested opening set, with the Falcons securing a 26-24 win in the frame following back-to-back kills by Guidry to end the set.
Guidry and Cooper paced the Falcons with four kills in the first set.
The Falcons began the second set with an impressive 7-2 run, capped with back-to-back kills by Phelps and Guidry. The Saints rallied to tie the set at 13-13 following a kill by Ashley Cheewah before the Falcons managed to push their lead to as many as four points down the stretch. The Saints again tied the set at 25-25 before Montevallo used kills by Cooper and Bohan to clinch the 27-25 win in the second set.
Cooper led Montevallo with six kills in the second set.
The Saints took control early in the third set with a 5-0 run to open the frame, capped with a service ace by Sara Davis. Flagler extended its lead to as many as 12 points down the stretch following a kill by Amelia Morgan, which gave the Saints a 23-11 advantage, on their way to a 25-15 win in the set.
Flagler opened the fourth set with a 4-1 run, capped with a kill by Davis. The Falcons managed to cut the deficit to 9-8 midway through the set, but a 3-0 run late in the frame helped Flagler hold off a late run by Montevallo to secure a 25-18 win in the set.
The Falcons opened the final set with a 5-1 run, fueled with a pair of kills by Phelps. The Saints responded with a 6-3 run to trim the deficit to 8-7. Best sparked Montevallo down the stretch with a pair of kills, including the final one of the match, to help the Falcons close out the win with a 15-10 win over the Saints in the fifth set.
The Falcons return to action Saturday, Sept. 27 with a Peach Belt Conference match on the road at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Ga.
First serve is set for 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central.
