MOREHEAD, Ky. --- Belmont volleyball (16-15, 11-5) defeated Eastern Illinois Thursday morning, 3-1, to secure a spot in tomorrow's Ohio Valley Conference semifinals.
Belmont struck first in the opening set and Eastern Illinois responded with a kill. Both teams exchanged points with the Panthers maintaining the lead. A block by freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) followed by an EIU attack error gave the Bruins a 9-8 lead.
A 3-0 run from the Panthers allowed them to tie the set and regain the lead. Belmont battled back to tie the set five times. Youngdahl again sparked a short run for the Bruins, tying the set at 18-all. The Panthers responded before junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) helped the Bruins take a 21-20 lead.
Both teams continued to exchange points, tying the set at 24-all, before EIU closed out the set 26-24. The opening set saw 20 ties and nine lead changes.
"I'm proud of our team for mentally battling through a tough first round match. After losing the first set, our team really rallied mentally and changed the tone of the match," said head coach Deane Webb.
In the second set, the Panthers got on the board first taking a 3-0 lead. A block from Youngdahl and McCoy sparked a 3-0 run for the Bruins, tying the set at 4-all. The set remained close with Eastern Illinois taking a 12-10 lead before BU responded with a 3-0 run and taking the 13-12 lead.
The Panthers responded by tying the set at 13-all and increasing their lead by four before Belmont answered with a kill from McCoy and EIU attack errors allowed the Bruins to tie the set at 17. Belmont continued on their run by taking a 20-17 lead over EIU.
After the break, Belmont got on the board first with the set remaining close until junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) started a run for the Bruins, with the squad scoring four unanswered points to take a 7-3 lead.
The Bruins continued to extend their lead over EIU with kills from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) and Myer to take a 15-9 lead. The Panthers responded with a 4-1 run, but Belmont would not relinquish their lead.
"Scarlet had an outstanding match, particularly setting the tone early in the match with aggressive attacking," said Webb.
Behind kills from Myer and an EIU error, Belmont took set three, 25-19.
Eastern Illinois jumped out to a 4-0 lead before McCoy silenced the Panthers run. Kills from Myer and Gable closed the gap by two-points for the Bruins, but the Panthers extend their lead, leading by as many as five-points.
Belmont overcame a five-point deficit behind kills from Youngdahl and McCoy, the Bruins came within one-point, 12-11. A kill from Myer tied the set at 12-all before McCoy's kill gave BU a 13-12 lead.
The Panthers wouldn't go quietly as they battled back to regain the lead, 17-15, behind a 4-1 run. Kills from sophomore Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and junior Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) tied the set at 17-all.
The set saw four more ties before the Bruins took a 23-22 lead off an EIU attack error. A block from McCoy gave BU the 24-22 lead, forcing EIU to take a time-out. The Panthers respond with a kill, before Belmont wins the fourth set, 25-23.
Three Belmont players registered double-doubles with Myer (14 kills, 11 digs), Gable (10 kills, 10 digs) and Youngdahl (10 kills, 11 digs). McCoy added 11 kills for the Bruins, while Miranda dished out 48 assists and junior Jamie Lundstrom tallied 20 digs. As a team, the Bruins set a season-high 12 blocks in the quarterfinal match.
"I have to give a great deal of credit for our captains for leading the team today," said Webb. "It's challenging to start poorly in an elimination match. Their leadership allowed our team to change directions mid-match, and the results followed."
The Bruins will play the winner of the Southeast Missouri-Jacksonville State game tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The match will be on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available.
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