Volleyball Falters to Vanderbilt in Friday Night Matchup

Friday, September 18

Nashville, Tenn.

7 pm

Lipscomb University

5-3,0-0ASUN

Vanderbilt

9-0,0-0SEC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Lipscomb	20	16	15	0
Vanderbilt	25	25	25	3

Box Score (PDF)

Volleyball Falters to Vanderbilt in Friday Night Matchup

9/18/2026 9:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

NASHVILLE – Despite 19 ties and 11 lead changes, the Lipscomb University Volleyball team (5-3) suffered a three-set sweep to Vanderbilt University (9-0), who is receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, by set scores of 20-25, 16-25, 15-25 on Friday night inside Memorial Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bisons stayed even early as kills by Sydney Strenger, Ella Durham and Kelsey Schenck helped pull the set to 3-3, and Schenck followed with a service ace for a 4-3 lead.

The set remained tied at 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 and 10-10 before the Commodores scored four straight behind an Avery Scoggins ace and kills by Reese Animashaun and Samantha Wunsch to go ahead 14-10.

The Bisons got back within 14-12 on a Commodores attack error and bad set, but the Commodores used kills by Animashaun and Wunsch around Bisons errors to move to 19-13 and later 22-17. Lexi Guinn's kill and a Kenzie Kucks ace cut the deficit to 22-19, but the Commodores reached set point on an Animashaun kill and Scoggins ace and closed the set 25-20 on a Bisons service error, their sixth of the opening set.

To start set two, VU moved from a 5-5 tie to an 8-5 lead on Maya Witherspoon's ace and kills by Reese Animashaun and Rachel Ogunleye, but the Bisons pulled even at 8-8 behind a Strenger kill, a Strenger-Schenck block and a Commodores attack error.

After VU went back in front 9-8, Durham had three straight Bisons kills to push the Bisons ahead 11-9, and the Bisons later held leads at 12-10, 13-12 and 15-14.

The Commodores tied the set at 15-15, moved ahead 17-15 on a Bisons attack error and a Samantha Wunsch ace, then closed from 18-16 with Witherspoon serving as Animashaun recorded three kills and Witherspoon added two aces in a 25-16 VU win.

In the third, The Bisons got early kills from Brooklyn Fuchs and Anna Claire Brown, but the Commodores moved from a 3-2 edge to an 8-2 lead with four Bisons attack errors and a Samantha Wunsch kill.

After Strenger's first kill made it 9-4, VU scored the next three points on a Rachel Ogunleye kill, a Maya Witherspoon ace and a block by Reese Animashaun and Ogunleye before Strenger stopped the stretch with another kill at 12-5.

The Bisons pulled within 16-11 on a Fuchs kill, Brown kill and a block by Guinn and Strenger, but the Commodores later pushed the set to 24-13 with a run that included a block by Animashaun and Ariel Chime and an Animashaun kill. Schenck's kill and a Commodores bad set gave the Bisons two points before Animashaun closed VU's 25-15 set win.

HERD NOTES
Friday's matchup marked the second time these two teams have played since volleyball was restarted at Vanderbilt in 2025.

The Bisons played an SEC opponent for the 28th time in program history.

KEY STATISTICS
Ella Durham and Sydney Strenger led the Bisons with eight kills apiece. Strenger totaled 9.5 points thanks to three assisted blocks.

Kelsey Schenck did record her sixth double-double with 22 assists and 10 digs.

UP NEXT
The weekend concludes with a trip to Belmont for the volleyball edition of the Battle of the Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. First serve with the Bruins will happen at 5 p.m. from the Curb Event Center.