Lebanon, TN – Megan Jackson recorded a team-high 22 kills on the day to help the UC volleyball team to a split of their two matches on the final day of the Phoenix Classic. The Patriots swept Bluefield 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-11) before falling to (RV) Reinhardt 0-3 (19-25, 22-25, 20-25) to move to 21-11 on the season.

UC got the day started with a straight set win over Bluefield. The Patriots opened the match on an 8-0 run, which included a pair of kills by Mackenzie Koch. Megan Jackson tallied a pair of kills to extend UC's lead to 14-4.  Cumberlands added a pair of 4-0 runs to push the score to 22-6, before Lynsey Short found Leah Crist for a kill to close out the set 25-10 and give UC a 1-0 lead.

Cumberlands posted a pair of 4-0 runs to start the second set to take an 8-1 lead.  Bluefield battled back with an 11-6 run to cut the lead to 14-12.  UC responded quickly, taking advantage of Rams miscues to score four unanswered points and take an 18-12 lead.  The teams traded points multiple times before Short and Fischer tallied back-to-back kills to give the Patriots the set 25-17.

The Patriots strong play continued in the third set as Jackson posted a pair of kills to help UC take an early 6-2 lead.  The Rams cut it to 6-4 before Jackson notched three of UC's next four points to extend the lead to 10-4.  Olivia Verdecchia tallied back-to-back kills as part of a 6-1 run to give the Patriots a 16-6 advantage.  After Cumberlands added another 6-1 run in the set, Short connected with Jackson for a kill to close out the set 25-11 and the match 3-0.

Jackson led the way for the Patriots with 13 kills, while Koch added seven kills.  Short dished out 32 assists, Tara Routliffe added a team-high 17 digs, and Lily Chapman finished with five kills and ten digs.

Against Reinhardt, the Eagles took the first two points however UC scored five straight, including a pair of kills from Crist to take a 5-2 lead.  Three kills from Jackson coupled with a kill by Short pushed the Patriots lead to 10-5.  The two teams traded points as Short Found Koch for a kill to give the Patriots a 15-9 lead.  After Reinhardt tallied six of the next eight points Jackson connected with a kill to make it 18-15 in favor of UC.  However, the Eagles closed out the set on a 10-1 run to take the set 25-19.

It was a similar story in the second set as Reinhardt took an early lead before the Patriots rallied to even the score and a take a 5-4 lead. The match was tied three times before Cumberlands tallied four straight points to take a 12-9 edge.  Reinhardt used a 7-3 run to retake the lead however the Patriots responded with a -1 run, including aces from Routliffe to put UC ahead 17-16.  The two teams traded points until Reinhardt recorded six of the final seven points in the set to take the set 25-22.  The Eagles held on to take the third set 25-20 for the 3-0 final.

Leading the way for the Patriots was Jackson and Koch, who finished with nine kills each.  Short dished out 27 assists and eight digs.  With that Short has now recorded a career-high 1,089 assists this season and has 3,501 assist for her career, which moves her into second place in program history ahead of Kara Clemenz (1998-01) and Brittany Weinheimer (2006-11) who finished their careers tied with 3,482 assists.

The Patriots will return to action Tuesday, October 29, when they host MSC rival Pikeville in their home finale at 8 p.m.  Cumberlands will honor their four seniors prior to the match. Live video will be available here, while live stats are available here.

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