MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn Montgomery volleyball team earned a pair of victories on Friday at the 2018 Huntingdon College Invitational, earning 3-0 victories over North Carolina Wesleyan and region-rival Tuskegee at the event.
 
NOTES
• AUM improves to 6-2 on the season with the pair of wins.
• NCW and Tuskegee both fell to 2-5 on the season.
• The Warhawks have now won six consecutive matches, the longest win streak in program history.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Freshman Nyah Whittlesey tallied 19 kills over two matches to lead the Warhawks, recording a career-best 10 kills against TU in the afternoon contest.
• Junior Sommer Rhea recorded 18 kills on the day, tallying 11 against Tuskegee.
• Senior Carly Smart posted 44 assists directing the AUM attack, with the Warhawks recording 74 kills over six sets.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN
• The Warhawks fell behind early to the Battling Bishops before tying the match at 7-7 on a Brianna Garvin kills. AUM doubled up the Battling Bishops on the way to a 20-13 advantage, before going up 23-16 on a kill by Whittlesey. Smart set up set point at 24-16 with a service ace followed by set error by NCW to give the Orange & Black a 1-0 advantage.
• NCW took an early advantage in the second set, going up 10-6 on a Sydney Barnwell kill. AUM took the lead on a Smart kill which put the Warhawks up 14-13. The two teams traded points back and forth until AUM was able to rattle off three points in a row to go up 20-18. The Warhawks would go on a 7-2 run to close out the frame, winning the set on a block by Garvin and Whittlesey.
• The third set saw the Warhawks take the early lead before the Battling Bishops pulled to within 11-10 on a Callie Cline kill. AUM then broke serve and rattled off four points in a row before NCW regained the service. After trading services, the Orange & Black tallied six straight points to go up 21-12. AUM would eventually take the set 25-15, winning the match on a Whittlesey kill.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE – NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN
• AUM tallied 42 kills to just 22 for the Battling Bishops.
• The Warhawks hit for a .262 clip while NWC recorded a .000 hitting percentage.
• NCW tallied 47 digs while AUM posted 42.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
• The Warhawks took a 9-4 advantage in the first set against the Golden Tigers, before TU came roaring back to take a 14-13 lead on a service ace by Taliyana Bryant. TU and AUM traded points back and forth until Rhea tied the match at 19-19 on an ace. Rhea would serve six consecutive points to give AUM a 25-19 set victory and a 1-0 match lead.
• The second set saw the Warhawks go up 18-9 before Tuskegee rallied for five consecutive points to cut the AUM advantage to 18-14. The Orange & Black responded with seven straight points to take the set 25-14.
• The two teams traded points back and forth in the third set, battling to a 15-15 tie. AUM notched four points in a row to go up 19-15 before TU broke serve. Once again the two team traded points back and forth until Rhea was able to finish off the set with a kill to win the frame 25-20.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE – TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
• AUM tallied 32 kills while TU posted 27.
• The Warhawks record seven aces while Tuskegee posted three.
• Both teams recorded four blocks apiece.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will close out the Huntingdon Invitational on Saturday with a pair of matches, taking on Agnes Scott College at noon before taking on the host Hawks at 4 p.m.
 
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