Union Volleyball Completes Season Sweep of Milligan

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – The Union Commonwealth University women's volleyball team (10-16, 10-6 AAC) completed a season sweep of Milligan (6-23, 5-11 AAC) Friday night, earning a 3-1 win at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs edged Milligan 3-2 at Robsion Arena on Sept. 18. This time, Union won in four sets: 25-21, 25-17, 22-25, and 25-17. This is the second time this season that the Bulldogs have been on a three-game winning streak.

Game Recap

Set 1: Union Commonwealth 25, Milligan 21
Milligan opened the scoring, but Union responded with a 6-1 run to take a 6-2 lead. The Buffalos answered with a 5-0 run of their own to move ahead 7-6. The teams traded points until 12-12 before Union regained the lead with a 2-0 run. Milligan countered with a 6-1 stretch to go up 18-15, but the Bulldogs closed strong, ending the set on a 10-3 run to win 25-21.

Top performers: Ginevra Girardo led the team with five kills, two aces and two blocks. Berkli Benefield added two kills and two blocks.

Set 2: Union Commonwealth 25, Milligan 17
Milligan jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Union surged ahead with a 12-4 run to take control at 14-7. The Bulldogs extended the margin to 24-14 before Milligan scored three straight. Union finished it off on the next rally to take the set 25-17 and a 2-0 match lead.

Top performers: Morgan Stacy led with two kills and two blocks. Emily Shumaker and Jersey Glass each added two kills and a block.

Set 3: Milligan 25, Union Commonwealth 22
Union controlled the early action, building an 11-4 advantage and later leading 15-7. Milligan battled back, however, using a 14-6 run to even the score at 21-21. The Buffalos carried that momentum to the finish, taking the set 25-22 to cut Union's lead to 2-1.

Top performers: Benefield paced the team with three kills. Rylee Stookey followed with two kills and a block, while Girardo added two kills and an ace.

Set 4: Union Commonwealth 25, Milligan 17
Milligan opened the final set with a 4-1 lead before Union roared back with an 11-3 run to go up 12-7, forcing a Milligan timeout. The Bulldogs continued to roll, extending their advantage to 16-8 after a Stookey kill. The Buffalos closed the gap with a short 4-1 run, but Union answered with three straight points to make it 20-11. The Bulldogs traded points the rest of the way and closed out the match 25-17.

Top performers: Girardo totaled two kills, two blocks and an ace. Glass and Stookey each finished with four kills and a block.

By the Numbers

• Kills: Stookey – 9
  

• Assists: Sloan Coursey and Sarah Charkosky – 16 each
  

• Points: Girardo – 12.5
  

• Blocks: Girardo – 5
  

• Digs: Sydney Worde – 15
  

Up Next

The Bulldogs return home to Robsion Arena to begin a three-match homestand, starting with Johnson on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 6:30 p.m.