EVANSVILLE, IND. – Belmont volleyball (3-7) won a five-set thriller over Evansville (3-8), 22-25, 25-18, 28-30, 25-22, 17-15 Tuesday evening.
"It's a great win for our team tonight," said head coach Deane Webb. "There were times that we weren't technically perfect, but emotionally we were very, very good throughout."
Belmont played in five matches last season that went into five sets. The last time the Bruins saw a match go into five sets was against East Tennessee State in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Semifinals, where the Bruins won, 3-2.
Evansville took an early 3-1 lead over Belmont and the Bruins trailed early on in the set, but a back-to-back kills from freshman Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) gave Belmont an 11-10 lead.
A kill from junior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) put the Bruins up by two but the Purple Aces came back to retake the lead of the set, 23-20. Youngdahl and sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) put Belmont within two, but Evansville took the set, 25-22.
In the second set, Belmont took at three-point lead over the Purple Aces. Evansville put together short runs, but they were silenced and the Bruins continued to extend their lead. A kill by Youngdahl sparked a 4-0 run, which gave Belmont a 17-12 lead.
Junior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) scored two consecutive service aces and a kill from junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) gave Belmont a 24-17 lead. Sophomore Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) closed out the set with a kill, 25-18.
"Alex attacked well when she was subbed in the match, while Jen and Jamie were outstanding in the back row," said Webb. "Jocelyn is really starting to find her place out there, as this is the third match in a row where she has hit over .260."
After the break, Belmont took an early lead, but the Purple Aces continued to battle back and come within one point, but the Bruins continued to extend their lead.
Redshirt freshman Maddison Croft (Edwardsville, Ill.) sparked a 2-0 run to give Belmont a 24-20 lead, but Evansville answered back scoring three straight points and eventually tying the set at 24. Evansville took a 25-24 lead before back-to-back kills from Myer and Miranda gave Belmont a 26-25 lead.
The two teams battled back-and-forth, but Evansville was able to hold off the Bruins and close out the set, 30-28.
Belmont took charge of the fourth set early, taking a 16-9 lead. Myer allowed the Bruins to take a five-point lead over Evansville. The Purple Aces came within two, 24-22, but a kill from Myer gave Belmont the win of the set, 25-22, pushing the match to a deciding fifth set.
In the deciding set, Belmont came out with an early 7-4 lead. Myer sparked a short run, but the Purple Aces silenced it. A kill from Croft gave Belmont the set point, but Evansville was back within one, 14-13 until the Purple Aces tied the set at 14.
Belmont and Evansville saw the set tied at 15 before Myer put the Bruins up 16-15 and a kill from Lundstrom gave Belmont the 17-15 win.
Gable led the Bruins with 22 kills. Miranda dished out a season-high 56 assists, while Lundstrom paced the defense with 26 digs.
"Scarlet had one of the best offensive matches I've seen from her. She played with poise, confidence, and passion and it elevated our play as a team," said Webb.
Myer and Youngdahl each recorded their first double-doubles of the season. Myer tallied 16 kills and 20 digs, while Youngdahl had 10 kills and 11 digs.
"I'm very proud of the effort our team put in, and am looking forward to competing at Memphis this weekend," said Webb.
Belmont will compete in the Tiger Invitational this weekend in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins face Louisiana first in the tournament on Friday at 2 p.m.
