Box Score KANSAS CITY, Mo. - - Belmont (6-5) defeated UT-Martin 3-2 in dramatic fashion, overcoming a two sets to none deficit to win the Kangaroo Klassic on Saturday. The tournament championship is the first for the Bruins since winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament in 2008.
"It's not so much about what I said as what they did," Webb said of his team's comeback. "You can say whatever you want in the huddle, but the kids have to go out and make a change. Much like we did this morning when we were down 8-1, we made a change this afternoon down two games to none. It can't be a small change when you get beat as badly as we did in game two. Our kids responded and got better as the match went on and even when the match was close, our level of play increased significantly throughout the match."
On the bus ride to UMKC, assistant coach Jeff Wismer told the team the question of the day wasn't whether they had the talent to defeat both UMKC and UT-Martin, but whether they had enough guts to do it. The Bruins set out to prove that they did, in fact, have the guts, defeating UMKC in straight sets in the day's first game before overcoming a two set deficit and force a deciding fifth set against UT-Martin. Belmont trailed 6-9 at one point in the fifth set before battling back to tie the game and eventually take a lead. With the lead, the Bruins held off a furious rally from UT-Martin, including a loss of rally at 14-12 that gave the Skyhawks back the serve. When the serve sailed wide, the Bruins had completed a fantastic comeback to take the match, 3-2, and claim the tournament title.
"Hannah (Miranda) really gutted it out today," Webb said. "A kid that, I'm just really proud of what she's pushing through right now and mentally staying focused. Al took her play to an entirely different level today. Eleven kills in 23 swings and five blocks, that's just a great match. We've been talking about needing to get Al (Allison McCoy) more swings and we've been having a hard time doing it and we found a way today and she really took off. UT-Martin is a tough team to play. They are so very patient. I have nothing but the highest respect for what Coach McClure is doing there. They understand what their roles are and they play within themselves and they make you do something really good to beat them. I feel fortunate to get the win and glad that our kids rose to the occasion to earn it."
Belmont once again rode the hitting arm of senior Maggie Johnson, who turned in 20 kills for the match, the fourth time this season she's recorded at least 20 kills. The Atlantic Sun Preseason Player of the Year got some much needed help from sophomore Allison McCoy, who set a new career high with 10 kills to go along with her team-high five block assists. The Bruins overcame a sluggish start in the match and a poor hitting performance in the first two sets, thanks in part to 11 service aces, including three from freshman Scarlet Gable and two each from Jen Myer and Hannah Miranda. Johnson was named the tournament MVP, while McCoy and Miranda were also named to the all-tournament team.
"Maggie's maturing. It's a great thing to see," Webb said. "She's a different mental player, a different emotional player than she was a year ago. I'm not sure that a year ago she would have been able to do that in game give. There would have been too many thoughts going on, too many ideas about different shots or whatever. She's more confident now, she's more mature and it's just great to see. It's one of the most rewarding things as a coach to see people improve. And for her to do this, to have this opportunity in her senior year, yes it's just a preseason tournament, but it's important to have the opportunity to go out and win every championship you have the opportunity to win."
Balanced defense has become a staple for Belmont, who got 22 digs from libero Jamie Lundstrom while four other Bruins had at least six digs and three were also in double figures. Johnson turned in 18 digs to go along with her offensive performance, while Gable and Miranda each had 15 digs.
"It's probably more digs than we expected from Jamie," Webb said. "We expected our outside hitters, who play position six, to probably get more digs tonight than Jamie, just because UT-Martin shoots balls to corners quite a bit. Jamie, with her speed, found a way to maybe get to some balls that maybe even weren't hers. That's just a credit to her and what she's been able to do this year. She's an important part of what we're doing."
The Bruins seemed to be in trouble at intermission, having just been beaten soundly by UT-Martin, 25-15. Belmont responded with a solid 25-18 win of their own and carried that momentum into the fourth set, winning 25-18.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday in a midweek match with Evansville in the Curb Event Center. The Purple Aces have been hot so far this season and will provide yet another tough non-conference test for the Bruins. Belmont will hope to ride the momentum of winning their first non-conference invitational this season into the match against Evansville before heading to New Orleans and the Tulane Invitational next weekend.
