MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Despite two players recording double-doubles, the Auburn University at Montgomery volleyball team dropped a home match to Gulf South Conference foe Union on Saturday afternoon.

NOTES
- AUM falls to 15-11 on the year, including a 6-5 record in conference play.
- Union improves to 15-11 in 2019, with a 7-4 record in GSC action.
- The Lady Bulldogs won the match 26-24, 22-25, 25-14, 30-28.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Sommer Rhea and Nyah Whittlesey had double-doubles in the losing effort, and both tallied a team-leading 16 kills.
- Isadora Nicolai led the Warhawks in assists with 53, five shy of her career-high.
- Carla Butler paced the Warhawks in digs with 33, setting a new career-high in the process.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Union raced out to a 3-1 lead before the Warhawks were able to come back and tie the game at three thanks to a kill from Whittlesey. The opening frame would continue to go back and forth within the first set, but it was Union who had the first run of the game to take an 18-13 lead late in the opening set. The Lady Bulldog run was matched by a fury of offensive attacks from the Warhawks as they recorded six-straight points led by the serves of Whittlesey. Ariadne Borges, Rhea and Nicolai all registered kills during the run to take a 19-18 lead. The game would find itself reach a 23-23 tie in the dying moments of the first set, but it was Union who prevailed to take the first set 26-24.   
- The second set was more of the same from both teams as neither side was able to gain a significant advantage. With the second frame tied at 10, the Lady Bulldogs recorded three-straight points to take a 13-10 lead. Moments later, the Orange & Black netted three straight points of their own, which was capped by a service ace from Whittlesey to tie the second set at 14. With the Warhawks trailing 19-21, AUM buckled down to take seven of the next eight points. The run was started by Maria Nicolau, who found the hardwood with a kill, and the Warhawks would never look back as they would even up the match at 1-1.
- The third set featured offensive dominance from the Lady Bulldogs, Union jumped out to a 4-1 lead before AUM rattled off four points in a row to take a 5-4 lead. This would be the last time AUM led in the third frame. With the score sitting at 11-10 in favor of Union, the Lady Bulldogs took 11 of the next 13 points to take a 22-12 lead. Union would not look back as they would lock down the third set, winning 25-14.
- The final set of the match was nothing shy of epic, as both teams went on substantial runs inside the final frame. The third set started with the Orange & Black racing out to an 8-3 lead over the Lady Bulldogs. After Union took their second timeout of the set, the Lady Bulldogs found a way to cut the lead to 14-12. Union would find some more offensive flow with the game sitting at 16-14 in favor of AUM, as the Lady Bulldogs took five of the next six points to take an 18-17 lead in the final set. AUM found three consecutive points of their own thanks to two kills from Giada Pais-Marden to put AUM on top 21-19. Union staved off elimination with the Warhawks leading 25-24, as the Lady Bulldogs were able to extend the game after tying the final set at 25. The Orange & Black would be a point away from extending the match to a fifth set twice in the third set, but it was Union who would find a way to win two points in a row and would come away with a 30-28 lead.  
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- AUM led the match in kills with 65, while the Lady Bulldogs recorded 62.
- Union swung at a .247 clip, while the Warhawks registered a .150 swing percentage.
- The Lady Bulldogs had the edge in service aces, netting four to AUM's three.   

QUOTING THE COACH
"As the season goes along, details are going to become more and more important. The better the teams we play, the more the details will matter going forward."

UP NEXT
AUM will look to start a new winning streak when they host Gulf South Conference opponent Valdosta State on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The match from the AUM Gymnasium is scheduled for 6 p.m.        
 
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