SCORE

Erskine 3, Montevallo 2  (25-20, 25-10, 13-25, 27-25, 10-15)

RECORDS

Montevallo (0-1)

Erskine (1-0)

LOCATION

Kline Hall (Bristol, Tennessee)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo persevered through a hard-fought season opener against Erskine in the first match of the King University Invitational before falling to the Flying Fleet 3-2 in its first of two matches on opening day.

The Falcons and the Flying Fleet battled early in the opening set before Erskine held on down the stretch for a 25-20 victory in the frame. Montevallo opened the match with a service ace by senior Hannah Christie before Erskine took momentum midway through the first set with a service ace by Marissa Greenough, which gave the Flying Fleet a 15-11 lead. Erskine took a 24-18 advantage on a service ace by Kristen Dodge before Kirsten Kaiser clinched the set with a kill.

Erskine dominated in the second set on its way to a 25-10 win in the frame. The Flying Fleet took advantage of a series of miscues by the Falcons and jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the set. Dodge recorded a kill to clinch the set and give Erskine a 2-0 lead in the match.

Montevallo stormed back to extend the match with a 25-13 victory in the third set. The Falcons raced out to a 14-4 lead in the frame, including a 10-0 run fueled with a pair of service aces by sophomore Brie Blume. Sophomore Simone Maxwell registered a pair of kills late in the frame and the Falcons clinched the set following a pair of attack errors by the Flying Fleet.

The Falcons managed to tie the match at 2-2 after holding off Erskine with a 27-25 victory in the fourth set. Neither team managed to capture momentum early in the frame until the Falcons reeled off four consecutive points and took a 22-18 lead. Christie provided a pair of service aces in the 4-0 run. Junior Kristy Bohan registered a pair of kills to extend the frame before a service ace by the Flying Fleet gave Montevallo the 27-25 win in the set.

Erskine held off the comeback attempt by Montevallo, securing a 15-10 win in the fifth set. A kill by Christie gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead and momentum in the frame, but the Flying Fleet went on a 8-0 run to clinch the fifth set and the match.  

STAT OF THE GAME

Facing a 2-0 deficit in the match, the Falcons responded with an impressive .346 hitting percentage in the third set to help extend the match.

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Senior Hannah Christie registered the eighth double-double of her career with 31 assists and 13 digs against the Flying Fleet.

Sophomore Shannon Dudley recorded a career-best seven blocks in the season opener against Erskine.

Sophomore Nicolette Fiessinger finished with a career-high three service aces against the Flying Fleet.

UP NEXT

Montevallo will take on host King University in its second match of the Invitational later this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Central.