MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn University at Montgomery volleyball team got back into the win column with a 3-1 home victory over Gulf South Conference opponent Valdosta State on Tuesday night.

NOTES
- The Warhawks' record rises to 16-11 on the year, with a 7-5 record in conference play.
- Valdosta State drops to 11-17 with a 3-9 mark in GSC competition.
- The Orange & Black won the match 25-19, 22-25, 25-9, 25-27.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- The Warhawks netted 13 service aces in the win.
- Nyah Whittlesey paced the Warhawks in kills with 16.
- Libero Carla Butler netted 22 digs to lead the team.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Early in the first set, the Lady Blazers were able to run out to an early 4-2 lead. However, their initial margin was answered by AUM's four-straight points to run the game to 6-4. Valdosta State was able to rattle off a big run later in the opening frame, recording five-straight points of their own to take a 10-8 lead. With the set tied at 13, the Warhawks took nine of the next 10 points to capture a 21-14 lead. The Orange & Black would never surrender this significant margin and would carry that rally to a 25-19 victory in the opening frame.    
- The Lady Blazers would have the upper hand throughout the second set of play, as Valdosta State raced out to an early 6-4 lead. The small lead would grow later on in the second set when VSU totaled five-consecutive points to take a 14-9 advantage. The Orange & Black would attempt to tie the second set when Jaylyn Felder, Giada Pais-Marden, and Whittlesey combined to earn three straight points to cut the deficit to 17-16. However, it would be the Lady Blazers who came away with the second set, winning the game 25-22.  
- AUM came out soaring in the third set of action, jumping out to an early 7-1 lead that forced a VSU timeout. Isadora Nicolai served on six of the seven points the Warhawks won in the opening portion of the third frame. The impressive offensive showing continued later on when the Warhawks led 14-6. The Orange & Black added on to their lead thanks to kills from Ariadne Borges and Sommer Rhea, which helped extend the lead to 18-6. The Warhawks would keep the Lady Blazers at just nine points for the entire set, and won the third frame 25-9.  
- The opening moments of the fourth set featured back and forth action between the two sides. Valdosta State tallied the first three points of the fourth set before AUM went on a run of five straight scores to take a 6-4 lead later in the early stages. After a service error from Rhea, the Orange & Black went on to take four-consecutive points from the Lady Blazers to further extend their stronghold to 10-5. Valdosta State would narrow the Warhawks lead to 15-12. However, the Warhawks would receive kills from Pais-Marden and Whittlesey, along with a service ace from Rhea, to retake an 18-12 lead. To close out the fourth set by taking six of the last eight points of the contest to win the final frame 25-17.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Warhawks had the edge in kills in the match, tallying 60 to VSU's 41.
- AUM hit .338 as a team during the match, while the Warhawks held the Lady Blazers to a .167 clip.
- The Orange & Black had a slight edge on digs, recording 61 to Valdosta State's 56.   

QUOTING THE COACH
"We followed the game plan, and we served aggressively, I think that was the key to the win tonight," said head coach Flavia Siqueira. "We were able to serve the zones that we needed to serve, and we were able to neutralize their main hitters."

UP NEXT
The Orange & Black will return to action on Thursday, Nov. 7, when they travel to face the West Alabama Tigers in Gulf South Conference action. The match from Livingston is set to begin at 6 p.m.       
 
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