Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont volleyball put up a terrific fight in their opening match of the 2014 Belmont Invitational Friday evening but Kennesaw State (1-0) proved to be too much down the stretch as the young Bruins squad dropped a closely contested 3-1 decision (25-22, 13-25, 36-34. 27-25) to the Owls.
The first set was a close battle throughout as the largest lead came when Kennesaw State went up 20-17 off a Belmont attack error.
The Bruins rallied back to tie the match at 20 off three consecutive kills as redshirt freshman Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) assisted on a slam from junior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) before nabbing a pair of her own.
BU continued to battle the rest of the way as the Bruins countered every move the Owls made for the next couple of possessions but KSU finished off the set by scoring three consecutive points in order to take the opening set, 25-22.
Price paced the Bruins, posting a .600 hitting percentage on the set with four kills on five attempts while also adding four assists.
Belmont responded in the second set as the Bruins controlled the action from start to finish.
BU jumped out to a quick 16-6 advantage midway through and never looked back, coasting for the easy 24-13 victory in order to tie the match, 1-1.
Senior Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) asserted herself throughout the set as the outside hitter posted a .400 hitting percentage while accumulating five kills. Price continued to do an excellent job at setting up the hitters as she racked up eight assists on the set.
The Bruins couldn't seem to seize the momentum, however, as the third set proved to be a closely contested, marathon contest as both teams simply refused to give in.
Belmont had plenty of chances down the stretch, but the Bruins couldn't capitalize on several possible set points once the score was knotted at 25.
KSU seized the opportunity and pulled out a 36-34 victory off a kill by Megan McGuiness and a Belmont attack error.
The Bruins responded in the fourth stanza and refused to go down without a fight as the set stayed extremely close from start to finish.
Belmont had a chance to extend the match into a fifth and deciding set when a BU set point was created after a strong kill by freshman Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) put the Bruins up 25-24.
A Belmont service error on the next possession gave KSU new life and the Owls once again took advantage.
A kill by KSU's Toure Hopkins proved to be the deciding point as the Owls captured the close set, 27-25, and also the match, 3-1.
On the match, Belmont held a decisive hitting percentage advantage over KSU as the Bruins hit .125 compared to KSU's .054.
Price led the charge with a .429 hitting percentage off seven kills while adding 36 assists and 11 digs.
Gable posted a double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs while hitting .343 on the match and adding five service aces.
The freshman duo of Person and Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) had solid first matches of their respective Belmont careers as Person had a good defensive outing with 13 digs while adding five kills and Lewis provided several powerful kills for the Bruins, finishing with eight on the night.
KSU's Kelly Marcinek led the Owls with a double-double of 13 kills and 20 digs while Michelle Witt recorded a match-best 39 assists on the evening.
The Bruins are set for a quick turnaround as Belmont (0-1) resumes action tomorrow morning with a match against Youngstown State starting a 9:30 a.m. CT.
The Bruins will close out the invitational against Evansville (0-1) tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. CT. Live stats and video from the OVC Digital Network will be available for both matches.
