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By: Stephen Williams

COLUMBUS – Behind double-doubles from Abby King and Cori Ehmen, the Columbus State University volleyball team rolled past Augusta 3-1 (25-23, 28-30, 25-16, 25-19) on Wednesday night. The Peach Belt Conference match was played inside the Lumpkin Center.
 
King finished with 12 kills and 18 digs, while Ehmen ended with 43 assists and 15 digs. Kylie Beaubien added 12 kills of her own and Caytlin Merritt led the Lady Cougars with 19 digs on the night.
 
"I really like the communication and teamwork tonight," said head coach Casey Cornett. "I think the girls have started to build some confidence over the last few matches and it is starting to show."
 
Columbus State (4-20, 1-11 PBC) started quickly in the opening set, taking three of the first four points. The Lady Cougars later put together a 4-0 run to erase a one-point deficit behind two kills from King and a kill and block from Beaubien.
 
Augusta (14-10, 5-8) rallied back to tie the match at 12, but Andrea Skipor broke the tie with a smash and CSU would lead the rest of the way. The Lady Cougar lead never reached more than four as AU hung around, however a Jaguar service error gave Columbus State a set one win.
 
The second set appeared to be headed to the Lady Cougars as well with CSU holding set point at 24-18. Augusta had other ideas though, winning the next seven points to take a 25-24 edge. The two sides alternated the next seven points to leave the set tied at 28, but back-to-back errors from CSU gave Augusta the set and tied the match.
 
Set three was a dominant performance from the Lady Cougars. On the serve of Abby King, Columbus State tallied eight straight points to open an 8-1 lead. The lead ballooned out to as much as 10 at 15-5 after Payten Joy picked up an ace. The Lady Cougars would cruise the rest of the way with King finishing off the game with another kill to put CSU within one set of a victory.
 
The fourth was more of a battle for Columbus State as Augusta led 10-8 early on. CSU captured six of the next seven points to surge in front. Joy led the spurt with two kills, while Frame and Skipor each chipped in with one of their own.
 
Augusta fought back within one point on two separate occasions, but the Lady Cougars were able to hold off the Jaguars both times.
 
King tallied the final kill for the second straight set, this time putting CSU into the win column for the first time in conference play.
 
Columbus State will now prepare for a road weekend at USC Aiken and Lander. The Lady Cougars will face USC Aiken on Friday night with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.