NASHVILLE - Lipscomb Volleyball returned home for a quick ASUN battle against Austin Peay on Wednesday night. The Bisons were dominant from the first serve to the final point and cruised to a 3-0 win over the Governors with set scores of (25-18, 25-20, 25-9).
The Bisons once again opened strong with a quick win in the first set and went on to control both the second and the third frame. With the victory, Lipscomb improved to 14-1 when winning the first set and 10-1 in Allen Arena this season. The sweep also marks the sixth sweep by the Bisons this season.
Senior Libero Delaney Smith needed just five service aces to break the ASUN career ace record and did just that and more, ending with six aces on the night and now has 169 aces, atop the ASUN record book.
As a team, the Bisons recorded 37 kills and held Austin Peay (10-16, 3-10 ASUN) to 21 and had a hitting percentage of .247 compared to the Govs' -.037 percentage. The Bisons also recorded 11 service aces on the night.
Sophomore outside hitter Jada DiVita led the purple and gold with 12 kills while hitting .409. Defensively, Smith netted nine digs, while sophomore setter Sophia Hudephol chipped in seven digs. At the net, senior middle blocker Meg Mersman had eight kills and five blocks. Junior right-side hitter Addi Pelham finished with five kills and three blocks.
After a neck-and-neck start to set one, Lipscomb would eventually pull away down the stretch. The Bisons used a 6-0 run during the set to blow things open. Lipscomb's .241 hitting mark and 13 kills led to a 25-18 win in the opening frame.
During the second set, the Bisons start with a 4-0 run and maintained the lead throughout. Austin Peay reached within three (20-17), but their rallying effort wasn't enough as the Bisons took set two 25-20. Courtney Jones and DiVita each tallied four kills in the frame.
LUV controlled the third frame, never trailing and taking the set 25-9 to complete the sweep and earn their 11th conference win. The Bisons used a 9-1 run to open the frame, followed by a 6-0 run to go up 15-1. DiVita led the way in the frame with five kills in seven attempts, while as a unit, the Bisons had eight blocks and four aces. Smith reached the record mark in the third set and finished with three in the frame.
Up Next:
Lipscomb will battle Jacksonville in their next match on Saturday, Nov. 6. The contest is slated to get underway at Noon CT in Jacksonville, Florida, and will air on ESPN+. For more coverage of Lipscomb Volleyball, follow LUV on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @lipscombvball.
