Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont Volleyball (9-5, 3-1 OVC) was unable to sustain a late comeback on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins fell in league action to Jacksonville State (13-9, 3-1 OVC), 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 28-25).
Jacksonville State controlled the early part of set one, jumping out to a 4-1 lead before the Bruins sprang into action on both sides of the ball. BU trimmed the lead down to two, 10-8, courtesy of a service ace by sophomore Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). JSU rebounded and the Bruins called timeout. BU used a kill by junior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) to move within four, 14-10. BU kept surging and used a kill by junior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) to open a three-point rally that eventually knotted the score at 16-16. Jacksonville State briefly pulled away before another Bruin rally closed to gap to just one point, 21-20, forcing the Gamecocks to burn a timeout. Unfortunately, time fell short for Belmont as JSU was able to clench the set, 25-22.
Three straight JSU errors to open the second frame helped to fuel a strong start for the Bruins. Belmont went up 4-0 before the Gamecocks would record their first point of the set. JSU kept pushing back against the Bruin offense that rang up three service aces. Belmont remained ahead until Jacksonville State knotted the set at 11. The teams fell into a back-and-forth battle that saw six different ties before the Gamecocks gained a brief one point lead. However, a kill by Lewis knotted the score at 17 and JSU called a timeout to strategize. The pause did little to slow the Bruin momentum as they built a three-point advantage, 22-19. Jacksonville State rallied in the final points but Belmont was able to hold them off to win the set, 25-23, behind a kill by redshirt sophomore Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.).
Jacksonville State pulled ahead early in set three, going up 6-3 before the Bruins began trimming away at the lead. It didn't last long as JSU rebounded and went up, 15-9, forcing Belmont to call its first timeout of the set. The Gamecocks kept rolling and pulled away, 20-10. Suddenly the Bruins sprang to life in the set. Kills by Person and Lewis sandwiched a right-side block by redshirt junior Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and Nichols, closing the gap to 24-18. The flurry put Jacksonville State on its heels, forcing it to call timeout. Despite a resounding kill by junior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.), Belmont saw the third set slip away, 25-19.
The Gamecocks came out hot to start the fourth set, going up 7-1, before Belmont called timeout. JSU did not let up and expanded its lead to as many as seven, going ahead 16-9, forcing BU to call its final timeout of the frame. The Bruins put together a brave rally that narrowed the gap to two points, 18-16, down the stretch, pulling the crowd into the effort. Back-to-back blocks by Person and Nichols made it a 22-18 frame but attack errors kept the win out of reach as Jacksonville State took the fourth set by the score of 25-18.
"JSU had a game plan for us and executed it very well," said Belmont head coach Tony Howell. "The combination of that and us having an off night, it made things very tough for us today."
Lewis led all players with a career-high 25 kills. Person also reached double figures in kills, collecting 12. Price notched as season-high 52 assists while Ivancich was just one dig shy of her season-best, recording 20.
Belmont returns to action on October 7 with a road match at Morehead State. Match time is set for 6 p.m. The contest can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available.
