ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Auburn University at Montgomery volleyball team improved to 3-1 in five-set matches in 2021 with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Arkansas-Monticello Cotton Blossoms to open the Reddie-Tiger Invitational on Friday.
 
The Warhawks have now won two consecutive games and improve to 6-3 to start the season. The Cotton Blossoms drop to below .500 and now stand at 5-6 on the year after the loss.
 
After starting the game as the libero for the Warhawks, Mariane Cassiano transitioned to her natural position of outside hitter after the second set and finished with 12 kills and 17 digs to lead the team. Senior Nyah Whittlesey, fresh off breaking the all-time kills record at AUM, led the team in kills with 14.
 
The Orange & Black used a two-prong setting attack against Arkansas-Montecillo, as Isadora Nicolai (34) and Amber Bretwisch (15) combined for 49 of the team's 61 assists.
 
The beginning of the first set saw AUM and UAM go back and forth, trading points with neither side being able to gain any significant advantage. It wasn't until the Cotton Blossoms used a service ace to run the score to 13-8. UAM eventually ran the score to 21-15 and held on to their advantage until they took the set 25-21.
 
Set two resulted in the two teams trading the first 10 points of the game. Nothing changed in the middle stages of the second frame, as UAM hung on to a 16-15 lead over the Warhawks. Down 21-17, the Warhawks rallied to tie the game at 21. After fighting off the loss for the moment with a Keren Santana kill to tie the match at 25, the Cotton Blossoms took three of the next four points to take a commanding 2-0 lead over AUM.
 
A set of runs early in the third frame defined whether or not AUM was going to be able to extend the game to a fourth set. The Warhawks found themselves down 9-13, then rallied to tie the game back at 13. With the game tied at 22, the Warhawks fought to take three of the last four points scored to win the third set 25-23 and extend the match to a fourth set.
 
Despite falling behind 0-4 to start the fourth set, a kill from Kyla Ffrench gave AUM a 7-5 lead. After Arkansas Monticello tied the game at 10, The Warhawks took four of the next five points that was capped off by a Ylenia De Mango kill to run AUM's lead to 15-11. The Warhawks would hang on to take the fourth set 25-20 to force a deciding fifth set.
 
AUM fell behind early 5-7 in the final set of the morning. The Warhawks rebounded by rattling off five straight points to take a 10-7 lead. The Cotton Blossoms cut the AUM lead to 12-10, but the Orange & Black took the fifth set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
 
The Warhawks will play the second match of the Reddie-Tiger Invitational against one of the hosts of the tournament, Henderson State, later tonight at 5:30 p.m.
 
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