MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks volleyball team (3-18, GSC: 2-11) saw a 2-1 match lead slip away, as the Mississippi College Choctaws (9-14, GSC: 6-7) won the final two sets to defeat the Warhawks in five on Saturday afternoon inside the AUM Athletics Complex. 
 
AUM had two players with 20 or more kills on the day. Anyaliz Rodriguez had a 23-kill, 20-dig effort to lead the Warhawks. On the attack, she hit .286 on the afternoon, committing five errors on 63 swings.
 
Kendall McCain added 21 kills and 14 digs for her third straight double-double, while Addi Vinson also had her third straight double-double with 25 assists and 15 digs. 
 
Mississippi College saw Mary Grace Foster with 18 kills, while Meg Paparella added 13 kills and 12 digs. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
A back-and-forth battle to start the match, Courtney Joseph made it 23-21 lead with a kill, but four straight points by the Choctaws saw them steal set one, 25-22. 
 
An offensive first set for both teams, the Choctaws totaled 18 kills to the Warhawks' 14. 
 
Set 2
In the second set, AUM rolled off the first four points on kills by Jaslyn Montgomery and a Felicity Pratt service ace to get things going. 
 
The Warhawks kept the pressure going. Leading 5-4, a 10-3 run, including eight of nine to the home team, swelled the lead to 15-7. 
 
Totaling 14 kills with a .371 attack percentage, the Warhawks stormed past the Choctaws, 25-17 to even the set at one. 
 
Set 3
Set three was just as even as the first. However, it was Mississippi College that had the 23-21 lead after a Cydney Mitchell kill, but AUM returned the favor and got to set point, 24-23, with two straight attack errors. 
 
However, MC forced lingering death with a Meg Paparella kill to even it up at 24 points apiece. 
 
The Warhawks responded by seeing Ellie Foco commit a service error to give the ball back to the home squad. Anyaliz Rodriguez, who had seven kills in the second, used her serve to earn the ace and give the Warhawks the 26-24 win to take the 2-1 lead. 
 
 
Set 4
With AUM ahead 12-11, MC flipped that pretty quick with six straight points, capping an 8-1 run to make it a 19-13 score for the Choctaws. 
 
That run forced a deciding fifth set for the match, as Mississippi College won 25-19. 
 
Set 5
AUM took an early 5-4 lead on a Kendall McCain kill, but MC saw a Mary Grace Foster kill earn them the side out and they went on a run, winning the five to lead 9-5. 
 
Despite a quick side out by the Warhawks on another spike by McCain to make it 9-6, an AUM attack error gave the Choctaws the ball back, and they finished on a 6-1 run to win the match in five sets, 15-7. 
 
In the fifth, the Choctaws totaled seven kills and hit .294 in the frame, while limiting the Warhawks to three kills on 21 swings. 
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will hit the road next week to West Tennessee to take on Christian Brothers in Memphis on Friday. 
 
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