Box Score MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Belmont volleyball team (19-14, 12-4) fell to SIU Edwardsville in four sets, 16-25, 20-25, 25-19, 21-25, Thursday afternoon on the campus of Morehead State in the first round of the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
SIUE struck first in the opening set and jumped out to a 7-3 lead before a kill from senior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) sparked a run for Belmont to cut the Cougars lead to one, 7-6. SIUE silenced Belmont's run to extend their lead to 18-11. The Cougars reached the set point and two attack errors kept the set alive for the Bruins until Kelsey Augustine's kill ended the set, 25-16.
The second set remained close with both teams exchanging points throughout. With the set tied at 17-17, SIUE scored three unanswered points to take a 20-17 lead. A 6-2 run by the Cougars ended the set, 25-19, with SIUE taking a 2-0 advantage at the break.
Belmont battled back in the third set taking a 6-5 lead until SIUE scored two straight points to take the lead. With the set tied at 9-9, SIUE went on a short run to take a 14-12 lead. Back-to-back kills from junior Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) sparked a run for the Bruins to score six unanswered points and take a 18-14 lead. The Cougars responded, but it wasn't enough to hold off Belmont who went on a 4-0 run to end the set 25-19.
SIUE took a 7-3 lead in the fourth set until a kill from Martin sparked another Belmont run to close the gap, 7-6. The Bruins continued to extend their lead, 18-13 but SIUE scored five straight points, tying the set at 18-18. Behind a kill from Martin, Belmont was able to regain the lead, 19-18, but a 7-2 run by SIUE finished the set, 25-21 and won the match 3-1.
Martin led the Bruins with a match-best 15 kills. OVC Player of the Year, Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.), added 10 kills and registered a .438 hitting percentage. Senior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Tex.) added a match-best 15 digs. Junior Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) and senior Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) added 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
Belmont finished the 2013 season with a 19-14 overall record and a 12-4 mark in OVC action.
