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Women's Volleyball

Volleyball 2022 Season in Review

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lipscomb's volleyball program concluded their 2022 season in the Semifinals of the ASUN Conference tournament held on their home court in Allen Arena. Over the 29-game season, the Bisons put together an incredible showing from their Herd this year, including earning their 17th appearance in the ASUN Semifinals.
 
The Purple and Gold put together an overall record of 16-13 with a 12-4 mark in conference play during the regular season. Nine of the Bisons' victories came as 3-0 sweeps of their opponents and the squad also earned three five-set victories in a row, the final two of which were both recorded over ASUN newcomer Austin Peay.
 
The Bisons finished 63rd in the regular season RPI with an impressive set of national standings to boot. Lipscomb's squad ended their season eighth in the nation in service aces per set with a mark of 1.91 aces/set as well as finishing tied for 24th in the NCAA Division I for total aces at 197. The Bisons earned their mark in the competitive ASUN Conference, which ranked 11th in the NCAA for median RPI.
 
In conference play, the Bisons led the ASUN in kills/set (14.65), total kills (879), aces/set (2.00), total aces (120), assists per set (13.77), and total assists (826).Several Bisons saw key milestones this season as freshman setter Sophia Hudepohl passed 1,000 assists, junior Libero passed 100 total career aces, junior middle blocker Meg Mersman passed 200 total career blocks, graduate transfer Kailee Bass passed 200 total career blocks, and junior outside Caroline Stogner recorded a dominant 14-kill, one-error performance on Nov. 11 to claim a .765 hitting percentage against Kennesaw State.
 
THE RUNDOWN
Offensively, seven members of the team recorded triple-digit kills, led by junior outside hitter Caroline Stogner who put away 326 kills with a .246 hitting percentage. Right-side Addi Pelham recorded 287 kills of her own on a .236 clip while newcomer Berkley Mischler led the Bisons in the middle with 169 kills on a .298 percentage after stepping up for the Bisons late in the season.
 
In total, the squad tallied 1,404 kills with a .238 hitting percentage, handily surpassing their opponents' total 1,192 kills and their .230 hitting percentage. The Bisons took 3662 total swings over their 29 matches and graduate transfer Kailee Bass stood tall as the squad's most efficient attacker with a .333 hitting percentage from 51 kills and just 14 errors over 61 sets played in the middle.
 
Speaking of stepping up, freshman setter Sophia Hudepohl took on an immense responsibility as the primary setter for the Bisons following an injury to junior setter Ashleigh Albert in September. The Mason, Ohio product put together a dominant freshman campaign with 15 matches wherein she posted at least 40 assists to cross the 1,000-assist threshold in her first collegiate season to guide the Bisons to a sweep against Central Arkansas in the ASUN Quarterfinals on November 17.
 
On the defensive side, four of Lipscomb's consistent back-row players scooped up triple digit digs. Junior libero Delaney Smith led the way with 418 digs, putting her at a total of 882 digs in her career so far. She was followed by Sophia Hudepohl with 231, Caroline Stogner with 203, and Connelly Renfrow with 102.
 
The Bisons also put away 190.5 blocks as a team this season with four Bisons responsible for 50+ total blocks each. Addi Pelham put up a wall for opposing outside hitters as the right-side blocker put away a team-high 75.0 blocks. Junior middle blocker Meg Mersman claimed 63.0 total blocks of her own, including a team-high 12 solo blocks, followed by Kailee Bass and Berkley Mischler in the middle with 55.0 and 54.0 total blocks respectively.
 
When the Bisons were on at the serving line, they drove matches at their pace with a blazing 197 service aces from the squad, including a team-high 47 from Smith. Caroline Stogner recorded 39 aces of her own while Sophia Hudepohl was responsible for 31 of the team's aces with a career-high six against Tennessee State in August.
 
A STROLL THROUGH THE SEASON
Following an exhibition match at Ole Miss that went to five sets before the Rebels took the day, the Bison opened their 2022 campaign by welcoming the #14 Stanford Cardinal to Nashville late in August. The squad from California claimed victory in a sweep, but the Bisons' offense collected 29 kills of their own against the Cardinal, highlighted by junior middle Meg Mersman who put down eight kills in the match.
 
The squad next took on two local foes as they welcomed Tennessee State to Allen Arena with a sweep over the Tigers. They followed up with a 3-1 defeat over Belmont before welcoming a slew of big-nme foes to Nashville for the 2022 LUV Invite where they took on Mississippi State [RV], Ball State [RV], and Oklahoma with losses to each team.
 
Next up for the Purple and Gold was the Louisville Invitational where the Bisons swept the Xavier Musketeers before falling in three sets to #4 Louisville. The following weekend at the Jayhawk Classic, Lipscomb's program took on #23 Kansas, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and UCF [RV] and lost in straight sets to all three.
 
The Bisons' grueling preseason schedule paid off as the squad began conference play with a trio of wins, besting Eastern Kentucky in three sets, Bellarmine in four, and North Florida in another sweep. After a harrowing five set loss to Jacksonville and a four set battle they dropped to FGCU, the Bisons went on to win six straight matches, including back-to-back five-set triumphs over conference newcomer Austin Peay.
 
After a pair of losses to Liberty and Jacksonville State, the Bisons ended their regular season berth with three more wins, including back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State. With their second victory over the Owls coming as a sweep on senior night, the Bisons carries their momentum to Florence, Ala. to deliver a sweep to the UNA Lions to round out their regular season.
 
Postseason play saw the Bisons off to a hot start, handing Central Arkansas a three-set defeat with scores of 27-25, 25-21, 25-20. However, all good things come to an end and so too did the Bisons' 2022 campaign in a five-set heartbreaker against the Liberty Flames (17-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 15-13). The squad's arduous schedule demonstrated the success of the Purple and Gold as seven of the Bisons' opponents earned trips to the NCAA tournament this season, with just over half of their preseason matches against opponents who would go on to the tournament including Stanford, Ball State, Kansas, UCF, and 2022 NCAA Tournament Semifinalist Louisville to name a few.
 
BRIGHT FUTURE
The Bisons are optimistic about the future after seeing the skill of this season's freshman class. The adept hand Hudepohl showed at directing the Bisons' offense will provide a reliable presence for attackers such as Berkley Mischler, Courtney Jones, and Jada DiVita.
 
After stepping into a more consistent role in the middle for the Bisons after Mersman's injury, Mischler was named to the ASUN All-Freshman team for her efforts in the middle. She was joined by outside hitter Courtney Jones who's explosive swing earned her All-Freshman honors after she put down 152 kills in just 21 matches and 66 sets played.
 
Jones quickly became a dominant force on the Bisons' front row, doling out six double-digit performances including a season-high 20 kills against Jacksonville (10/1). Joining Jones as a prolific presence on the outside before her injury was fellow freshman Jada DiVita.
 
DiVita racked up 126 kills over just 13 matches with seven matches where she recorded 10+ kills. She recorded a season-high 18 kills against Xavier on her way to posting an overall hitting percentage of .256 hitting percentage.
 
This lucrative freshman class has incredible leaders returning to the squad to lead their way. Across the net offensively the Bisons have outside Caroline Stogner, middle hitter Meg Mersman, and right-side Addi Pelham to guide the youngsters while Delaney Smith and Connelly Renfrow anchor the back row defense.
 
Stogner (326), Merman (131), and Pelham (287) combined for 744 kills between the three of them while also racking up 164 total blocks between the trio with 26.0, 63.0, and 75.0 respectively. Their attacking prowess helped the Bisons outscore their opponents 1,404 kills to 1,192 and helped push the squad to a .238 total hitting percentage for the season.
 
On the defensive side, Smith and Renfrow combined for 583 digs 841 serve receive attempts. With 418 digs, smith averaged 4.06 digs per set while Renfrow claimed a 1.62 digs per set mark with 165 total digs. The pair also dished out 60 total service aces with 13 for Renfrow and a team high 47 for Smith. Smith's tally of service aces marks her second in the conference for total aces by one and secures her first in service aces per set with a mark of 0.46.
 
HC BRANDON ROSENTHAL
"I am extremely proud of what we did in 2022," coach Rosenthal said. "I cannot say enough about the character of our team.  I loved coming in everyday and working with this group."
 
"We were challenged throughout the season with injuries and the team never backed down once," Rosenthal continued. "The resilience of this team was remarkable and they truly left it all on the floor.  While the leadership of graduates Logan Gish and Kailee Bass will dearly be missed next year, I have no doubts that the future of LUV is extremely bright."
 
"I know this group is hungry for that next step and the experiences that they had this year will only strengthen the future of this program," Rosenthal finished. "A special thanks to Logan Gish and Kailee Bass is in order These two are remarkable ambassadors of what is possible through college athletics.  The world is a better place with these two and all that they represent."
 
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Players Mentioned

Logan Gish

#11 Logan Gish

OH/RS
6' 2"
Fifth Year
Meg Mersman

#3 Meg Mersman

MB
6' 2"
Junior
Addi Pelham

#7 Addi Pelham

RS
6' 1"
Sophomore
Delaney Smith

#13 Delaney Smith

L
5' 8"
Junior
Caroline Stogner

#8 Caroline Stogner

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Connelly Renfrow

#14 Connelly Renfrow

DS
5' 7"
Junior
Courtney Jones

#2 Courtney Jones

OH
5' 11"
Freshman
Sophia Hudepohl

#5 Sophia Hudepohl

S
5' 8"
Freshman
Kailee Bass

#6 Kailee Bass

MB
6' 1"
Fifth Year
Berkley Mischler

#9 Berkley Mischler

MB
6' 1"
Freshman
Jada DiVita

#12 Jada DiVita

OH
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Logan Gish

#11 Logan Gish

6' 2"
Fifth Year
OH/RS
Meg Mersman

#3 Meg Mersman

6' 2"
Junior
MB
Addi Pelham

#7 Addi Pelham

6' 1"
Sophomore
RS
Delaney Smith

#13 Delaney Smith

5' 8"
Junior
L
Caroline Stogner

#8 Caroline Stogner

6' 0"
Junior
OH
Connelly Renfrow

#14 Connelly Renfrow

5' 7"
Junior
DS
Courtney Jones

#2 Courtney Jones

5' 11"
Freshman
OH
Sophia Hudepohl

#5 Sophia Hudepohl

5' 8"
Freshman
S
Kailee Bass

#6 Kailee Bass

6' 1"
Fifth Year
MB
Berkley Mischler

#9 Berkley Mischler

6' 1"
Freshman
MB
Jada DiVita

#12 Jada DiVita

6' 0"
Freshman
OH
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