NASHVILLE - Lipscomb volleyball extended their win streak over their crosstown rival Belmont to 11 after a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-23) sweep of the Bruins in Allen Arena Tuesday night. The Bisons closed out non-conference play with a sweep in their final tune-up match before their ASUN schedule kicks off this coming weekend on the road. The victory moves Coach Rosenthal's squad to an even 5-5, and marking the Bisons second straight in the win column.
Lipscomb finished with a .260 hitting percentage and 42 kills in the home outing. They also added eight blocks, five of which came from Meg Mersman, and nine service aces in the win. Courtney Jones tallied a team and game-high ten kills with several Bisons including Jada DiVita (9), Mersman (8), and Berkley Mischler (8), not far behind. Sophia Hudepohl led Lipscomb charge again with 36 assists. Addi Pelham continued to grind into season form after a preseason setback and had her best outing of the year with seven kills and three total blocks.
Set 1:
The Bisons scored the match's first two points, but Belmont recorded three straight to take their first lead of set if the match. A few moments later, Belmont worked to a 7-4 lead, but the Bisons answered with five points swing, three of which came on kills by DiVita, to take a 9-7 advantage. The squads traded leads until the 19-19 mark, when Lipscomb recorded six of the final seven to win the opening set 25-20. The Bisons' hitters were efficient in set one, particularly down the stretch, as ten of the last 12 points game from kills. The team ended with 15 kills in the first set.
Set 2:
Belmont held an early 5-3 edge over the Bisons in set two, but the tides quickly shifted in favor of Lipscomb as they went on a dominant 14-2 run with everything seeming to go the Bisons' way. Later in the set, they had another rally of six straight to put the icing on the cake, winning frame two by a wide margin, 25-13.
Set 3:
The Bruins showed some fight late in set three with their backs against the wall but it wasn't enough. After trailing 15-11 midway through what ended up being the final set, Belmont made some plays to earn a 21-20 lead, but the Bisons finished strong, scoring five of the last seven to claim victory 25-23 and complete the sweep, their second of the season.
COACH ROSENTHAL AND DELANEY SMITH POSTGAME:
Up Next:
Lipscomb begins ASUN play on the road for three matches. The first game will be in Conway, Arkansas, against Central Arkansas on Sep. 22 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
