Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont volleyball (12-14, 8-4) swept Murray State, 25-16, 25-21, 30-28 Thursday night in the Curb Event Center.
The opening set remained close early before Belmont scored 10 unanswered points, to take a 17-10 lead. The run was sparked by a kill from junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) before Murray State (4-17, 2-9) silenced the Bruins.
Behind a pair of blocks from junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas), redshirt freshman Madison Croft (Edwardsville, Ill.) and McCoy, the Bruins were able to extend their lead to 12-points before the Racers went on a short run. A kill from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) closed out the set, 25-16.
Myer tallied six kills in the opening set, while the Bruins held Murray State to a .182 hitting percentage.
The Racers went on a 4-0 run in the second set to take a 6-4 lead before the Bruins battled back evening the set at 7-all with a kill from Myer. Murray State extended their lead by four-points before Belmont went on a short run to close the gap.
Behind a kills from sophomore Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Myer, the Bruins tied the set at 20, before Belmont took a 21-20 lead with a kill from freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.).
The Bruins closed out the second set, 25-21 behind kills from Myer and Youngdahl.
After the break, the Racers answered first, taking a 3-1 lead. Murray State's lead was short-lived as Belmont scored four unanswered points behind Myer and Gable, as the Bruins took a 7-3 lead. Murray State put together some short runs, tying the set three times before the Belmont squad extended their lead by two, 14-12, by a pair of kills from Youngdahl.
Gable sparked a 3-0 run, giving Belmont a 22-19 lead. The Racers rallied back to score three unanswered points and tie the set at 22-all, before taking a 23-22 lead.
Both teams exchanged points back and forth, tying the set at 25-all before the Racers scored to take a 26-25 lead. Myer responded with consecutive kills tying the set at 26-all and giving the Bruins a 27-26 lead.
The Bruins held off Murray State, 30-28, behind two kills from junior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.).
Myer led all players with 16 kills, she also added 10 digs. Youngdahl recorded 12 kills and 11 digs. Miranda dished out 46 assists and junior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the defense with 15 digs.
Belmont will return to the Curb Event Center on Friday, November 2 as the team plays host to Eastern Kentucky for a 6:00 p.m. match.
