NASHVILLE, Tenn.--- Belmont finishes up the home portion of its schedule with matches against Jacksonville and North Florida. The Bruins will face Jacksonville in a 6:30 p.m. match in the Curb Event Center on Friday, and then take on North Florida in a 2 p.m. match in the Curb Event Center on Saturday. The two matches mark the start of the second-half of the conference schedule and will be critical for all three teams. Belmont sits in fifth place in the league standings coming off a bye week while Jacksonville sits in sixth only a game behind the Bruins. The Bruins will look to close out the home schedule with two wins after posting only a 4-5 record in the Curb Event Center so far this season. Belmont has fared better on their home court in conference play, posting a 2-1 record in league games.
In order to close out the home season with a winning record, the Bruins will rely on their strong service game. Belmont leads the Atlantic Sun in service aces per set and this past week placed three players (Kayla Albritton-second, Carly Frazier-third, and Jen Myer-fourth) inside the top five in service aces per set in the conference. The Bruins currently rank ninth nationally in aces per set with 1.93, while Albritton reached the top 10 after her three-ace performance last week, earning the ninth spot in the nation in aces per set (0.47). Frazier was also listed inside the top 50 servers nationally at number 44. Belmont has historically found success in the Curb Event Center against both of this weekend's opponents. The Bruins are 5-1 all time at home against Jacksonville and 3-0 at home against North Florida.
Saturday's match will mark the final home appearances for Belmont's five seniors. Kayla Albritton (Gainesville, Fla.), Megan Clements (Indianapolis, Ind.), Tara Blood (Boise, Idaho), Ester Mellado (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Carly Frazier (Stillwater, Okla.) were all a part of the Bruins 2008 Atlantic Sun Championship Team and have made one career appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The 2010 senior class has amassed 72 wins during their Belmont careers, holding a 72-44 career record.
The next action for the Bruins will be a final three-game road swing with two matches in Florida next weekend as Belmont faces Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast. The Bruins will return to Nashville to face Lipscomb in the final conference and regular season match of the season. Belmont will look to take the rematch of the Battle of the Boulevard after falling to the Lady Bisons in the Curb Event Center 1-3 earlier this season.
Match Notes
