NASHVILLE - Lipscomb Volleyball took on Queens (N.C.) (4-18, 1-9 ASUN) for their second straight home match and second all-time meeting with the Royals. The Bisons picked up another victory, sweeping the Royals with set scores of (25-21, 25-16, 25-23). A collective night from the defense boosted the win over Queens as a squad finished with 73 digs and six total blocks.
Meg Mersman led the way with 15 kills and four total blocks. Defensively, the Bisons were led by Delaney Smith who had 22 digs, followed by Ninah Miranda who totaled 13 digs with five kills, and Libby Steinhart who added 12 digs, her season-high.
The opening set was a defensive battle, as neither team could get into a rhythm. Often, the Bisons have overpowered teams with their front-line depth, but Coach Rosenthal and company proved that they can beat teams in several different ways depending on the match. Lipscomb closed the opening frame with a .174 attack percentage, .183 for the match, but added two blocks, three service aces, and 25 digs, which helped them secure a 25-21 win. Meg Mersman accounted for a large portion of those points with eight points on seven kills and a solo block.
The trend from the opening set continued in the remain two sets. Lipscomb was more dominant in set two offensively, doubling there kill total from the previous set. The Bisons raced out to a 7-0 lead in the frame which gave LUV the cushion they needed. Coach Rosenthal's bunch forced the Royals into hitting -0.075 percent in set two en route to a 25-16 set score.
Lipscomb took the back-and-forth third set 25-23 to close out the game after trailing 23-22 down the stretch. A kill from Mersman evened the score followed by two attack errors ended the final frame in the Bisons' favor.
LUV improved their overall record to 14-6 on the year, with nine ASUN wins at 9-1. The Bisons also extended their home win streak to nine straight with a 9-1 mark at Allen Arena this season. Mersman's 17.5 point performance for the match brings her to 973.5 for her career, 26.5 shy of the 1K mark at Lipscomb.
Up Next:
Lipscomb will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to battle the Bellarmine Knights. The match will be aired on ESPN+ and 5:00 p.m. CT. For more coverage of Lipscomb Volleyball, follow LUV on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @lipscombvball.
