PEMBROKE – In front of a raucous crowd at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court Friday night, the UNC Pembroke volleyball squad could not match up with the hard-hitting Montevallo team, falling in straight sets to the Falcons. 

The Braves (1-12, 0-3 PBC) are still searching for their first Peach Belt Conference (PBC) and have now lost six straight overall after the 15-25, 15-25, 19-25 defeat. The Falcons (8-4, 2-1 PBC) have now won three of their last four matches and eight in-a-row over the Black & Gold. 

The visitors hit an impressive .390 as a team, including a .444 clip in the opening set. UNCP countered with a .118 hitting percentage and 25 kills to Montevallo's 50. The Braves continued their strong blocking, rising up for five to bring their season total to 75, good for second in the conference. The Falcons recorded 47 assists, while the Black & Gold dished out 25.

The Braves did not go quietly in set three, winning 11 of 15 points to pull within five of Montevallo, but the Falcons took advantage of their fourth match point to secure the victory. 

Freshman Makaylah Elliott led all Braves with seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage, the latter a season high. Alicia Paeplow, Madelyn Ashwell and Kiara Price each racked up four kills and Paeplow added nine assists and six digs. Bailee Jones dished out a team-high 14 assists and added four digs. Libero Cayce Bell led the team with 11 digs. 

UNCP welcomes Columbus State to Pembroke tomorrow afternoon, a 2 p.m. first serve. The Cougars (7-3, 0-2 PBC) have dropped four of the six all-time meetings with the Braves. The teams split a pair of matches last season, each squad winning on the road.