Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Lipscomb University

Offcanvas Scoreboard

rubal
1
Lipscomb Lips 17-3,13-1 ASUN
3
Winner Georgia Tech GaTech 14-4,13-4 ACC
Lipscomb Lips
17-3,13-1 ASUN
1
Final
3
Georgia Tech GaTech
14-4,13-4 ACC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Lipscomb Lips 21 25 21 19 (1)
Georgia Tech GaTech 25 16 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Kirk Downs

Rubal's career night not enough for Bisons in NCAA opener

OMAHA, Neb. – In its 8th trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Lipscomb volleyball team fell 3-1 in its first round matchup with No. 23 Georgia Tech Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center.

The loss marked the end of the careers for four seniors – Megan Kuper, Samantha Rubal, Ashley Maher and Alyssa Zwolensky. The group led the Bisons to their seventh ASUN Championship title and the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. Over their four years, Lipscomb posted a 67-41 overall record.

Senior middle blocker Samantha Rubal went out with a career-high 18 kills on 34 swings from her middle position. She hit a team best .441 and recorded 3.0 blocks.
 
Fellow middle Meg Mersman added 13 kills and hit .360, while senior Megan Kuper picked up her eighth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 12 digs.
 
Setter Delaney Dilfer posted 50 of the team's 54 assists and senior libero Alyssa Zwolensky scooped up a team high 18 digs.  
 
The match belonged to the 6-foot-5 sophomore hitter on the other side of the net. Tech's Julia Bergmann connected on 31 swings (.381%) and scooped up 15 digs. It marked the most kills by a Yellow Jacket in its NCAA Tournament and the most by a Tech player in any outing since 2005 (35).
 
 
 
SET ONE
Lipscomb was ready out of the gate with a 4-0 match-opening run behind kills from Kuper and Rubal. The lead grew to 8-3 on Rubal's fourth termination before Georgia Tech started its comeback. After the seventh tie of the set, Mersman owned the next five points for Lipscomb with four kills surrounding an assisted block with Kuper to put the Bisons in front 20-18. The Yellow Jackets went on a 7-1 run from that point to take the opening set 25-21. The Bisons were outhit .406 to .250.

 
 
SET TWO
Despite Georgia Tech winning the first point, the second frame of the night belonged to the Bisons, who hit .441 and committed just one error on 34 attacks. Rubal led the way with five kills on five swings while Kuper and Mersman each put down three. Dilfer landed back-to-back attacks in the early minutes to help put Lipscomb up 8-3. Later in the set, Kuper nailed back-to-back aces at the service line before kills from Garrett Joiner and Kamryn Bacus gave the Bisons a 23-13 advantage. A service error and a final dagger from Rubal pulled Lipscomb even in the match with a 25-16 win.



SET THREE
An early fight had the Bisons out in front 14-12 midway through the third set, but Georgia Tech responded with a 10-3 run to go in front and take control 22-17. Mersman pulled the Bisons to within 22-20 after sandwiching kills around an ace from Dilfer, but the Yellow Jackets won three of the next four points to win 25-21 and put the Bisons on their heels. Lipscomb got outhit .368 to .205.  
 

 
SET FOUR
The two sides traded points early with kills from Joiner and Rubal to pull to within 7-5. GT broke the match open with an 8-2 run and seemingly on its way to a victory leading 15-7, but the Bisons responded like they had a week prior in the ASUN Championship. Joiner sparked a 9-3 Lipscomb run with a kill and a block on consecutive plays before Rubal landed a pair of swings to bring the purple and gold to within 18-16 and 20-18. Georgia Tech closed with three kills, a block and an ace to end the set and the match, 25-19. The Bisons held Georgia Tech to its lowest hitting of the match at .255, but were limited their lowest as well at a .122 clip.
 
 


HERD NOTES
  • Georgia Tech hit .322 with a season high 65 kills on 146 swings.
  • That was the highest hitting percentage by an opponent this season. In fact, it was just the third time a team had hit over .200 on the year. The previous high was .222 by UAB on Jan 30.
  • Joiner recorded seven kills and three digs, while Bacus added six kills.
  • The 5.0 total blocks were the fewest in the last eight matches for the Bisons dating back to March 2nd where they had 4.0 against North Alabama.
  • The Yellow Jackets set season highs in assists (64) and digs (77). Their 9.0 blocks was their fourth most of the season.
  • Kuper cracked 750 career kills (757) in the match and will end her career with 587 digs, 141 blocks, 923.0 points, 65 assists and 94 ace in 96 matches.
  • Ashley Maher wrapped her career with nine digs in the loss. She totaled 716 digs, 72 aces and 118 assists in 106 career outings.
  • Rubal closes her chapter with 564 kills, a .336 hitting percentage, 190 blocks and 52 digs in 81 career matches.
  • AZ finishes her career with 798 digs, 47 assists and 32 aces in 78 career games.


 
Print Friendly Version
Lipscomb University athletics logo