MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Junior outside hitter Sommer Rhea tallied a career-high 16 kills against Gulf South Conference foe Valdosta State on Friday evening but the Blazers' offense was too much for the Auburn Montgomery volleyball team, as the Warhawks fell 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 24-26, 19-25) on Friday evening at the AUM Gymnasium.
 
NOTES
• AUM falls to 8-6 on the season and 0-4 in the GSC.
• VSU improves to 6-10 overall and 2-2 in league play.
• The Warhawks are now 0-3 lifetime against the Blazers.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Rhea tallied a career-high 16 kills while hitting for a .245 clip. Rhea also led the team in digs with 18, which was one off her career-best.
• Senior setter Carly Smart tallied 31 assists and 16 digs.
• Sophomore middle blocker Jaylyn Felder tallied eight kills, three service aces and two blocks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first set saw the Warhawks jump out to a 7-3, capped off by an ace by Rhea. VSU would not go down quietly, however, battling back to tie the game at 17-17 on a block. The two teams would trade points back and forth until AUM was able to a 24-22 advantage. Nyah Whittlesey won the set for the Orange & Black with a service ace to give AUM a 1-0 match advantage.
• It would be VSU who would jump out to a 7-3 advantage in the second set, with AUM having to battle from behind. The Blazers would be able to keep AUM at arm's length throughout the set, eventually earning set point at 24-18. The Warhawks rallied for four straight points but could not complete the comeback, falling 25-22.
• The third set was a back and forth battle that saw tie scores at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13, 17-17 and 18-18. The Warhawks were able to go up 20-18 on one of Felder's aces before VSU would rally for four consecutive points. AUM would take a timeout to regroup before tying the match at 22-22 on a block by Keara Scott. Once again the two teams traded serves until the Blazers were able to get a 25-24 advantage, eventually taking the set 26-24 on a kill by Jessie Mooney.
• The fourth set saw the Blazers run out to a 9-4 advantage before AUM would get its offense on track. The two teams traded rallies with both teams scoring 15 points over the rest of the set, but the early lead by VSU would prove to be the difference in the set as the Blazers won the frame 25-19.  
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• The match featured 19 tie scores and nine lead changes.
• VSU tallied 61 kills to just 39 for the Warhawks.
• AUM posted 11.0 blocks while VSU tallied 9.5
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks host GSC foe West Georgia tomorrow at the AUM Gymnasium. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m. and the first 250 students in attendance will receive a commemorative rally towel.
 
For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.