DELAND, Fla. – For the second time this weekend and the third in the last four matches, the Lipscomb University Volleyball team went five sets with an opponent. For the second time in as many weeks, the Bisons, after dropping the first two, picked up a reverse sweep, this time to Stetson University, Sunday afternoon from the Edmunds Center. 

Final Score: Lipscomb 3, Stetson 2 (23-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-20, 15-11)
Location: DeLand, Florida (Insight Credit Union Arena at Edmunds Center)
Records: Lipscomb (8-10, 4-4), Stetson (6-14, 2-6)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was an offense-heavy opening set. Ahead 19-15, the Bisons kept the momentum with kills from Ella Durham, Berkley Mischler and Brooklyn Fuchs to extend the lead to 22-18. 

Despite Lipscomb having 18 kills in the opening frame, the Hatters took advantage of seven miscues at the attack to get back into the set with a Zuzanna Rut and Vanessa Shevchenko made it a 22-21 lead for the Bisons. 

LUV did get the side out quickly to make it 23-21, but back-to-back kills by Zuzanna Bury evened the frame at 23 points apiece. 

The Hatters kept the serve and won the set thanks to back-to-back attack errors to win the first set, 25-23. 

Stetson kept the momentum going in the second set, storming out to a 7-2 lead after back-to-back kills by Jenna Simmons. 

Despite LUV burning a timeout, Stetson was not phased. Service aces by Nyah Molina and Zuzanna Rut swelled the lead to 14-5. 

The Bisons returned the favor in set two similar to how the Hatters did in set one. A 19-10 run by the Bisons that saw five kills by Courtney Jones and three from Berkley Mischler forced lingering death.

Luca Bredenberg had the crucial service ace to even set two at 24 points apiece. Lipscomb took a 26-25 lead after kills by Mischler and Cora ter Kuile, but three straight points by the Hatters gave them the 28-26 set two win. 

Behind 7-4 early in set three, LUV used an 8-2 run to lead 12-9, but the Hatters won six of the next eight to get right back in it. 

Tied at 16, Jones and ter Kuile helped the Bisons avoid the sweep thanks to a 6-1 run to lead 22-17 and won the set, 25-22. 

In the fourth, the Bisons used a .306 swing percentage with 15 kills. Midway through, tied at 13, the Bisons began to pull away with a 10-5 run to lead 23-18 and forced the deciding fifth set with a 25-20 win for LUV. 

Lipscomb stormed out to an early 6-2 lead, as the Bisons held the Hatters to one kill in 14 attempts in the final frame. After Lilyanna Parker gave Stetson its lone kill of the frame, Courtney Jones, who had six of LUV's 12 kills in the final frame, slammed down the final three points to give the Bisons the reverse sweep. 

KEY STATISTICS
Courtney Jones set a new career-high with 30 digs, posting a .344 attack percentage with nine errors on 61 swings. She also added nine digs. 

Ella Durham recorded the double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs, while Sophia Hudepohl had her first 60-assist match of the season with 64 on Sunday and also contributed eight digs and three total blocks. 

The middle block rotation of Berkley Mischler and Brooklyn Fuchs also played well for the Bisons. Mischler scored 15.5 points with 14 kills and three block assists, while Fuchs tallied 10 kills and four total blocks, including three solo stops. 

HERD NOTES
Courtney Jones becomes the third player all-time in LUV volleyball history to have a 30-kill match, joining Carlyle Nusbaum, who did it three times, Brittnay Estes and Kaycee Green.

It was the first 30-kill match for Lipscomb since Carlyle Nusbaum totaled 31 against Stetson on Nov. 11, 2017.  

Lipscomb improves to 32-4 all-time against Stetson and 15-1 on the road, including a 15-match win streak in DeLand. 

LUV is now 5-1 against Stetson in five-set bouts, with the last regular season match going five also in DeLand on Oct. 9, 2022. 

UP NEXT
Lipscomb will next make the short trip to Clarksville to take on in-state rival Austin Peay for a 6 p.m. first serve to wrap up a three-match road swing.