Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After being pushed to five sets for a third consecutive match, Belmont University Volleyball saw a reversal of fortune on Tuesday night at crosstown rival Tennessee State. The Bruins (12-10, 6-5 OVC) were held off by the Tigers (13-14, 4-7 OVC) in the extra frame and fell, 3-2.
Tennessee State came out hungry to start the first frame, opening up a 9-3 lead, forcing the Bruins to burn an early timeout. The Tigers continued to roll and put together a six point run to go up, 15-3. BU called its second timeout and continued to search for an offensive rhythm down the stretch. With freshman Keely Hardin (Round Rock, Texas) behind the serving line, Belmont rolled off five straight points to close the gap to 18-9. A stunned TSU bench called timeout to group but the Bruins kept surging. Back-to-back kills by junior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) trimmed the differential to five points, 19-14. Belmont used a monster 14-4 run to knot the score at 23. Tennessee State called its final timeout and barely eked out the set win, 25-23.
Belmont opened the second set, demonstrating why it leads the nation in service aces. It collected three of its first four points off aces by juniors Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) and Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.). The Bruins continued to build on it strong start and used an 8-1 run to pull away 19-10, behind blocks by freshman Hannah Hickman (The Woodlands, Texas), Price, and Lewis. Two Tennessee State timeouts sandwiched a 7-2 run that had BU on top, 23-11. The Bruins only had to sit back for the final two points to secure the 25-14 win after a series of attack errors by TSU.
The third set saw the Bruins off to another quick start, going up 4-1 before the Tigers could get into action. BU built a lead as large as eight, 17-9 that continued to keep TSU out of sync. Tennessee State strung together a rally around the middle of the set, rolling off three consecutive points to close the gap to five, 20-15. Belmont called timeout to maintain its grip on the lead. A kill by redshirt junior Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) sealed the set win, 25-17, after back-to-back attack errors by TSU.
The fourth stanza was a back and forth battle early with the teams separated by one point until the Bruins began to pull away, 14-11, thanks to kills by Person and several blocks. Tennessee State attempted to stay in the fight through the midpoint of the set, moving to within one point, 18-17. However, the Tigers would not go away, staring down vicious kills from Vestal, Person and Lewis. The Tigers kept clawing back and knotted the set at 22 after the Bruins called timeout to regroup for the final points. The score would be tied at 24 and 25 before the Tigers took the set, 26-24, with a Bruin attack error and a kill of their own.
Belmont claimed the first point of the fifth set and the action would be tied four times before the Tigers went up 8-6 as the teams switched sides for a final time. Tennessee State maintained its two-point advantage and BU called timeout, trailing 11-9. The Bruins came out strong after the break, adding two points to force their opponent to burn a timeout after they made it a one-point set, 12-11. The back and forth battle continued as the teams fought for dominance down the stretch. TSU pushed to knot the score at 13 and 14. Belmont called timeout but the Tigers were able to use a pair of kills to take the set, 16-14, and the match.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday, October 29 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host SIUE in OVC action beginning at 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
