AIKEN, S.C. – Auburn University at Montgomery freshman Alessia Cappai tallied 26 combined kills in her first two matches with the program, while fellow freshman Kendall McCain recorded 20 kills on the day, but the Warhawks dropped both of their matches Friday at the USC Aiken Invitational.
 
The Warhawks fell in their opener to Carson-Newman 3-0, before dropping the final match of the day to Mount Olive 3-1.

THE WARMUP (Match 1)
Score: Carson-Newman 3, AUM 0 (19-25, 21-25, 23-25)
Records: CNU 5-1 | AUM 2-3
Series: Carson-Newman leads 1-0
Location: Aiken, S.C. | Convocation Center
Get Social: Twitter & Instagram - @AUMWarhawksVB

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Eagles raced out to a 10-1 advantage, and despite a late AUM surge, never relinquished the lead to take a 1-0 advantage in the contest.
• Trailing 10-6, the Warhawks rallied off five consecutive points behind kills by Cappai and Kyla Ffrench, and a service ace by Amber Bretwisch, to take an 11-10 lead. AUM led by a 17-16 margin, before Carson-Newman scored seven straight points to seize control of the second set. The Warhawks pulled back to within three points, 24-21, but a kill by Taylor Adams sealed the victory in the set.
• The two teams battled back-and-forth in set three and played to a 21-21 tie. The Warhawks led as late as 23-22 following a kill by Cappai, but the Eagles closed the match by scoring three straight points and taking the match.

STATS OF THE MATCH

• McCain, the reigning Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Week, posted her third double-double of the season, tallying 11 kills and 14 digs.
• Cappai recorded 11 kills, six digs, an ace and a block assist in her season debut.
• Sophomore Reann Cato posted a season-high 12 digs.
• Bretwisch finished with six digs and a team-high 16 assists.
• Savannah Sebek posted season highs in assists (11), digs (4) and kills (1)
• Julia Wheeler led Carson-Newman with 14 kills, 12 digs, two aces, a solo block and a pair of block assists.
• Carlee Allbaugh led the Eagles with 13 digs.

THE WARMUP (Match 2)
Score: UMO 3, AUM 1 (25-15, 23-25, 21-25, 26-28)
Records: UMO 3-3 | AUM 2-4
Series: Mount Olive leads 1-0
Location: Aiken, S.C. | Convocation Center
Get Social: Twitter & Instagram - @AUMWarhawksVB

HIGHLIGHTS

• AUM led the first set 10-8, before exploding for a 5-1 run to open a 15-9 lead. Holding an 18-13 advantage, the Warhawks closed the set with a 7-2 run, behind a six kills and a service ace.
• UMO raced out to an 11-3 advantage in set two and held a 21-14 lead late in the set. However, a 9-3 run, keyed by a pair of kills by Roberta Monticelli and Cappai, pulled the Warhawks to within one at 24-23. However, a kill by the Trojans' Ashlyn Stone sealed the victory and evened the match at a set each.
• The Warhawks controlled the pace of set three early, opening the match with a 12-9 advantage following a kill by Monticelli. The Trojans followed with a 10-3 spurt, capped by an ace by Amara Eziakonwa, and built a 19-15 advantage. With UMO leading 23-17, the Warhawks scored four straight points and pulled to within 23-21, but consecutive kills by Sam Widelski preserved the victory and gave the Trojans a 2-1 advantage.
• In the fourth set, neither team led by more than two points until UMO broke a 16-16 tie with a 4-0 spurt. The Warhawks trailed 21-17, but AUM answered with four straight points to tie the set, thanks to a kill by McCain and three Trojan attack errors. The Warhawks held set points at 24-22, but the Trojans held strong and tallied to tie the set at 25 a piece. A kill by Bretwisch gave AUM a one-point advantage, but Mount Olive scored the final three points and took the match by a 3-1 margin.

STATS OF THE MATCH

• Cappai posted a team-high 15 kills, while adding 13 digs and a pair of service aces in the contest.
• Monticelli also finished in double figures in kills with 12 and also contributed 11 digs.
• McCain fell one kill shy of her second double-double of the day, posting nine kills and 12 digs.
• Ylenia De Mango tallied eight kills, a pair of digs and a solo block in the match.
• Bretwisch contributed 34 assists, 12 digs and three kills.
• Keren Santana recorded a team-high 22 digs.
• Eziakonwa led three Trojans with 14 kills, while Morgan Prots paced the squad with 28 digs.

UP NEXT
The Warhawks will close out the USC Aiken Invitational Saturday by facing Augusta at 12:30 p.m. and Lander at 3 p.m. 
 
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