Box Score FORT MYERS, Fla.--- The fourth-seeded Bruins defeated fifth-seeded Mercer in the opening match of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Championship. Belmont won the first two sets 25-21 and 25-15 before Mercer came back from intermission and took set three, 23-25. The Bruins rebounded to take the fourth set 25-15 and win the match, setting up a rematch with rival and top-seeded Lipscomb tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. CST.
Belmont got a balanced performance across the board with three players finishing with double-digit kills. The Bruins were again led by senior Kayla Albritton (Gainesville, Fla.) who finished with a double-double with 19 kills on 53 attempts and also added an ace and 13 digs. Junior Maggie Johnson (Naperville, Ill.) recorded 16 kills and added nine digs while freshman Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) finished with a double-double of 12 kills and digs. Freshman Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) led the way with 51 assists and helped the Bruins finish with a .283 hitting percentage for the game. Senior Tara Blood (Boise, Idaho) continued her hot hitting streak with nine kills on 18 attempts and a .444 hitting percentage. Blood was one again incredibly accurate with her attacks, committing only one hitting error on the night. She also added a team high five blocks. Freshman Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) started the match at libero for an injured Megan Clements (Indianapolis, Ind.) and led the team with 17 digs in her first Atlantic Sun tournament appearance.
"We played well overall tonight," Head Coach Deane Webb said. "A little too amped up at times, and that affected our focus. By the end of the match, we had a nice balance of positive energy and mental focus. Hannah did a nice job distributing the ball and keeping our offensive attack balanced. Lead by Jamie Lundstrom, our team defended a great number of balls tonight. Despite Mercer swinging 20 less times than we did, we were even in digs per game with a team that is ranked nationally in that category. I'm really proud of the poise Jamie showed out there."
The Bruins will face Lipscomb for the third time this season in tomorrow's match. It will be the second straight year that fourth-seeded Belmont will face top-seeded Lipscomb in the tournament. The Bruins are 2-2 against Lipscomb in the Atlantic Sun tournament and are 0-2 against the Lady Bisons this season. Belmont and Lipscomb have faced each other in the four straight conference tournaments. The Lady Bisons or the Bruins have also been the winner of the last four tournaments, with the winner of the Belmont vs. Lipscomb match advancing to ultimately win the conference tournament and secure the automatic NCCA Tournament bid.
"To win tomorrow, we'll need to earn points while minimizing our unforced errors," Webb said. "Lipscomb is very good about playing within themselves and not giving away points. We'll need to control our aggressive play when the situation calls for it."
All of that will again be on the line when the two teams square off tomorrow afternoon. Each of the previous three meetings between the two teams dating back to last season's conference tournament match, have taken at least four sets to decide the outcome. Belmont will meet Lipscomb in the first semi-final match of the day at 4 p.m. CST.
