Volleyball Storms Back to Defeat Washington State in Reverse Sweep Fashion

Friday, September 11

Seattle, Wash. (Univ. of Washington)

7 pm

Lipscomb University

5-2,0-0ASUN

Washington State

4-2,0-0Pac-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Washington St.	25	25	18	18	11	2
Lipscomb	20	22	25	25	15	3

Lipscomb volleyball posed for a team picture after beating Washington State

Volleyball Storms Back to Defeat Washington State in Reverse Sweep Fashion

9/11/2026 11:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

SEATTLE – Reverse sweep complete. Thanks to career nights by Ella Durham and Anna Claire Brown, the Lipscomb University Volleyball team (5-2) came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Washington State University (4-2) in five sets, 20-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-11, Friday night from Alaska Airlines Arena, hosted by the University of Washington.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bisons opened the first set with kills from Brooklyn Fuchs, Ella Durham and Anna Claire Brown for a 3-0 lead, but Washington State worked back and moved ahead 5-4 behind consecutive service aces from Whitney Dewicki.

The set stayed tight through the middle stages, with LUV taking a 14-11 lead on a Kelsey Schenck kill, a WSU attack error, and Brown kill before the Cougars tied it at 14-14.

The teams continued trading points until the Bisons went in front 20-19 on a Washington State attack error. Mary Healy tied the set with a kill, and the Cougars scored the final six points overall to take the set 25-20.

After the teams were level at 4-4 in the second set, WSU scored four straight points with two Bisons attack errors, a Mary Healy kill, and a Madyn Cervellera kill to move ahead 8-4. Washington State later built the lead to 11-5 on a Naomi White ace and a Healy kill before Durham's kill and Sydney Strenger's ace brought the Bisons back to 11-7.

Brown helped the Bisons stay within 17-14 with kills in the middle of the set, but the Cougars pushed the margin back to 21-15 behind Audrey Hollis and another Bisons attack error. Trailing 23-18, the Bisons scored three straight on a Fuchs kill, a Durham kill, and a Washington State attack error to get within 23-21, but WSU closed the set 25-22 after a pair of late service errors.

After the teams traded points to 5-4, the Bisons used Brown's serve to win four straight points, with Lexi Guinn's kill alongside three Washington State attack errors pushing the set to 9-4.

The Bisons kept adding to the margin as Strenger recorded a kill and a service ace, Kenzie Kucks and Schenck added kills, and Grace Jones served an ace to help make it 17-10. WSU later cut the deficit from 21-14 to 21-17 with kills by Kryssa Moerman and Whitney Dewicki, but Durham answered with a kill for the Bisons.

After the Cougars got within 22-18, a Fuchs-Brown block, a Washington State attack error, and Durham's service ace closed the set for the Bisons, 25-18, to force a fourth set.

Kills by Fuchs and Durham off assists from Schenck gave the Bisons the first three points of the next set, and the Bisons pushed the margin to 8-3 behind kills from Brown and Guinn.

Washington State worked back from a 12-7 deficit with four straight points, including two Whitney Dewicki kills and a Kryssa Moerman kill, before Brown answered to keep the Bisons in front at 13-11.

After WSU stayed within 15-14, Strenger delivered two kills and Kucks served an ace as the Bisons moved ahead 18-14, and Strenger added another kill and a service ace during a later push to 21-16. Durham's kill brought the Bisons to set point at 24-17, and after a service error, a Cougar service error closed the set for the Bisons, 25-18, and force a deciding set.

After the fifth set was tied 3-3, Brown put the Bisons back in front with a kill from Schenck, and Grace Jones served through a four-point stretch that included two more Brown kills, a Strenger kill, and a Washington State setting error for an 8-3 lead.

WSU interrupted the run with an Audrey Hollis kill, but LUV pushed the margin to 11-4 on a Strenger kill and consecutive Brown service aces. The Cougars answered with three straight points to get within 11-7, and later used a Madyn Cervellera kill and Elma Bajraktarevic ace to make it 14-11. Brown finished the set with a kill from Schenck, giving the Bisons a 15-11 fifth-set win.

HERD NOTES
It was Lipscomb's first win in the first-ever matchup versus Washington State.

LUV improved to 74-47 since 2002 in five-set wins, a .612 win percentage. Since 2022, the Bisons are 20-9 when a match goes to a deciding set.

For a second straight week, Lipscomb's consecutive matches with a block was tested, and for the second straight week, it was averted in the third set. An assisted block by Anna Claire Brown and Brooklyn Fuchs extended the streak to 433.

Lipscomb narrowly edged WSU in the kill column, 65-61, but the story came at the service line. The Cougars gave 15 points back to the Bisons on service errors.

KEY STATISTICS
The Bisons saw career highs from Ella Durham and Anna Claire Brown to help them get the Friday night win.

Durham posted her first career 20-kill performance on a .306 attack percentage to lead all attackers, committing five attack errors on 49 swings. Nine of her 20 spikes came in the final two sets, six in set four alone to force the final set. The senior also posted a double-double with 11 digs and was 40-of-41 in serve receptions.

Brown tallied a .485 swing percentage on a career-best 18 kills and committed two errors on 33 attacks. Adding eight digs, she also had two service aces.

Sydney Strenger did not commit an error on the attack, finishing with 12 kills and a .571 swing percentage and finished with 15.5 points on three aces and an assisted block.

Kelsey Schenck earned her first 50-assist match with 56 and 10 digs, while Kenzie Kucks led the defense with 21 digs, followed by Grace Jones' 18.

UP NEXT
After returning to Nashville, the Bisons will face off with two local foes, starting with Vanderbilt next Friday night, Sept. 18 from Memorial Gymnasium. First serve is set for 7 p.m.