MARTIN, Tenn. – Belmont volleyball (8-14, 4-4) fell to UT Martin in five sets, 25-19, 25-22, 27-29, 19-25, 14-16, on Saturday afternoon.
"We were not a mentally strong team today, and that is my fault as head coach," said head coach Deane Webb. "We will work to get better this week. The UT Martin team did a good job changing the tempo of the match, and we did not stay with what was working in the first two sets."
Belmont took a 2-0 lead in the first set, but UT Martin tied the set. Kills from freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) and sophomore Alex Martin (Ooletwah, Tenn.) regained the lead from Belmont, before the Skyhawks scored five unanswered points to take a 7-4 lead.
Junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) sparked a run for Belmont, which led to the Bruins taking a one-point lead. The two teams exchanged points keeping the set close.
Back-to-back kills from Youngdahl and UT Martin attack errors, allowed the Bruins to take a four-point lead, before a kill from Myer started a 5-0 run to take a 21-13 lead. The Skyhawks put together a short run to close the gap, but redshirt freshman Madison Croft (Edwardsville, Ill.) ended the set, 25-19.
UT Martin jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the second set, and the two teams battled back and forth putting together short runs, with the Skyhawks maintaining the lead. Back-to-back kills from Myer and a Skyhawk attack error allowed Belmont to tie the set at 10.
A kill from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) started a short run, giving the Bruins a three point lead before UT Martin went on to tie the set at 18. Belmont put together short runs and again a kill from Croft closed out the set, 25-22.
The third set, remained close in the early minutes. UT Martin took a three-point lead but attack errors allowed the Bruins to come within one point.
The Skyhawks continued to extend their lead, taking a three-point lead before Youngdahl and Martin brought the set within one. Youngdahl then sparked a short run to tie the set at 19 before both teams exchanged points, tying the set nine times. UT Martin scored back-to-back kills to win the set, 29-27.
In the fourth set, UT Martin took an early lead scoring five unanswered points, but Belmont was able to tie the set at 10. The Skyhawks continued to string together short runs to extend their lead, 14-11.
Gable and a service ace by Martin brought the set within one point. Gable sparked another short run that led to the Bruins taking a 16-15 lead before the Skyhawks tied the set at 16 and retook the lead, 20-17.
Croft silenced UT Martin's run before the Skyhawks closed the set out, 25-19, forcing the match into a fifth set.
In the deciding set, Belmont got on the board first and the two teams exchanged points back and forth. UT Martin scored four unanswered points to take a 11-7 lead, before Youngdahl silenced their run.
Youngdahl and a Skyhawk attack error put Belmont within two-points, before the Bruins put together a short 2-0 run to come within one point, 12-11. UT Martin extended their lead, 13-11, before a kill from Myer put the set back within one.
The Skyhawks took a 14-12 before kills from junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Gable tied the set at 14. UT Martin held off Belmont and closed out the set, 16-14.
Youngdahl lead the Bruins with 14 kills while Gable and Myer added 11 kills each. Junior Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) dished 50 assists and 16 digs. Junior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the defense with 19 digs.
Belmont will continue their road swing Friday with Tennessee Tech before traveling to Jacksonville State on Saturday.
