MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn Montgomery volleyball team took on Tuskegee and Huntingdon on Wednesday afternoon, powering past the Golden Tigers 3-0 (25-13, 28-26, 25-12) before overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Hawks 3-2 (22-25, 25-27, 25-14, 25-13, 15-13).
 
NOTES
• AUM moves to 5-2 on the season
• Tuskegee drops to 0-6
• Huntingdon drops to 3-6
• As a team, AUM set the program records for kills in a match (58), assists (54), digs (80) while tying the record for blocks (6.0) in the Warhawks five-set comeback against Huntingdon.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Freshman outside hitter Skylar Coppinger led the offense in both matches, setting the program record with 21 kills against Huntingdon on a .364 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs for her first collegiate double-double. The Tallahassee, Fla., product added seven kills against Tuskegee.
• Junior setter Carly Smart dished out 73 assists on the day, setting the program-record with 51 against Huntingdon with 12 digs for a double-double.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Haley Toler set the program record in the opening match of the doubleheader with 18 digs, eclipsing her own mark with 24 against Huntingdon.
• Junior middle blocker Brianna Garvin led AUM at the net with six total blocks over the two matches.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (MATCH 1)
• AUM led the entire first frame, scoring the opening four points and 10 of the first 14 to force an early Tuskegee timeout. The Warhawks extended the lead with the ensuing point, and kept a lead of six or higher for the remainder of the frame while holding the opposition to a -.143 hitting percentage versus a day-best .345 for the Warhawks.
• Tuskegee took its first lead in the contest in the second set, using an early 3-0 rally following a block from Garvin to take a 3-1 lead. AUM responded with four quick points to retake the lead, and used a 10-2 run midway through the stanza to take an 18-9 lead. Tuskegee clawed their way back into the frame and knotted it up at 24-all, and even created an opportunity to win the set with a 25-24 lead before three-straight points by the Warhawks ended the frame.
• Looking to earn their second-consecutive sweep, the Warhawks used an early 8-2 run to take a 9-4 lead. Tuskegee orchestrated a 3-0 rally to cut the deficit to two, but AUM recreated its lead with a 12-3 run and ended the match with the final four points.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (MATCH 1)
• AUM finished the match against Tuskegee with 35 kills off a .202 hitting percentage while holding the Golden Tigers to a -.081 clip with 19 kills.
• AUM ended the first match with 45 digs versus 39 for the Golden Tigers.
• The Warhawks held a 7-4 advantage in service aces.
• Tuskegee finished the contest with three blocks while AUM had two.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (MATCH 2)
• AUM went blow-for-blow with Huntingdon for the opening 25 points, holding onto a 14-11 lead before an 8-3 rally by the hosts flipped the advantage. The Warhawks managed to bring the separation to within one at 19-18 before back-to-back points gave the hosts a cushion they held onto.
• Huntingdon carried the momentum from the previous set into the second stanza, starting on a 7-1 run and never allowing the Warhawks to take a lead. AUM managed to knot up the score at 24-all behind a 14-9 rally, but could not even up the overall score.
• The Warhawks came out firing in the third set, hitting a match-high .333 hitting percentage while holding Huntingdon to a -.030 clip to force a fourth set. AUM opened up with a 5-1 lead and never looked back.
• In similar fashion to the previous stanza, AUM scored the opening points and never trailed in the set. Huntingdon tried to end the contest in four sets, scoring six-straight points to cut their deficit to two at 12-10 before a 9-1 run by the visitors created a double-digit lead at 21-11.
• In the tiebreaker set, AUM scored the opening point and four of the opening five to create a four-point cushion. Huntingdon tried to mount a comeback behind a 5-0 run to make it a one-point set at 13-12 before back-to-back points by the Warhawks ended the contest.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (MATCH 2)
• AUM finished the contest with 58 kills on a .198 hitting percentage versus a .071 clip with 44 kills for Huntingdon
• AUM held an 80-71 advantage in digs.
• At the net, the two sides combined for 11 blocks with AUM having six.
• The Warhawks boasted nine service aces in the victory, while Huntingdon ended the match with five.
 
UP NEXT
AUM sees the court again on Friday, September 15 when the Warhawks begin play in the UNA Classic against the hosts at 3 p.m. The Warhawks continue play in the classic on Saturday with matches against Dillard and Union on Saturday at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
 
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