NASHVILLE - Lipscomb women's volleyball earned a gutsy five-set win over UT Martin on day one of the LIPPY Invitational. The Bisons improved to 2-4 after the victory and remain unbeaten in their five matches against the Skyhawks.
Jada DiVita put forward another outstanding performance with a career-high 22 kills. Caroline Stogner ended the match with a season-high 14 kills and eight digs, while Meg Mersman totaled nine kills and five total blocks. As a squad, Lipscomb tallied a season-high 68 kills with nine blocks. They also finished with a .241 hitting percentage.
Set 1:
UT Martin started the match on top with a 3-1 lead. A handful of kills by Lipscomb and errors by the Skyhawks eventually helped the Bisons regain the lead. The Bisons' hitters began to heat up to close out set one in a dominating fashion. A 10-0 run helped seal the deal in the opening set win. UT Martin had seven attack errors to Lipscomb's two, and the Bisons finished with 15 kills in the first set and hit at a .419 percent clip in the frame.
Set 2:
Set two was much more competitive contested with 12 ties and six lead changes. UT Martin cleaned up their attack and cut down on errors in the first set. Lipscomb struggled at the service line with seven service errors, which allowed UT Martin to keep pace. UT Martin capitalized on those errors to ultimately take a narrow 25-23 win in set two to tie the effort.
Set 3:
UT Martin kept the same energy in the second set. The scrappy bunch kept a lot of plays alive in scramble mode. The Bisons also had seven attack errors in the third set while hitting their lowest percentage (.111) of the match. UT Martin carried the momentum in set two into a set three win and a 2-1 advantage, putting the Bisons' on the ropes.
Set 4:
Lipscomb got back into a grove after some adjustment while mixing up the rotation. Some non-starters came in and gave the Bisons a much-needed spark, but Jada DiVita continued to swing well and was someone the Bisons leaned on down the stretch. It looked like the Bisons would run away with the set midway through, but UT Martin cut their deficit down to two (17-15), forcing a timeout. Later in the set, Meg Mersman sent one in a defender's lap, which she could not receive, giving Lipscomb a 20-17 lead and forcing another timeout, this time by UT Martin. From there, Lipscomb scored five of the next seven to claim set four and force a deciding set.
Set 5:
Coach Rosenthal's squad came out with some fire in the final set. The Bisons dominated set four, with 10 of their 15 points coming on kills. Caroline Stogner and Jada DiVita each put down three kills in the frame as Lipscomb was too much to handle after gaining back the momentum. As a result, the Bisons claimed a 3-2 win, their second straight victory.
BRANDON ROSENTHAL & (INSERT NAME) POSTGAME:
Up Next:
The Bisons will be back at Allen Arena for the second and final matchup of the LIPPY Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 9, against Kansas State at 6 p.m. CT.
