Box Score RICHMOND, Ky. -- Led by four players with double digit kills, Belmont Volleyball rebounded and battled to the fifth set to record its fourth victory of the conference season. The Bruins (10-6, 4-2 OVC) knocked off Eastern Kentucky, 3-2.
The Colonels squeaked out a 25-23 win in the first set but the Bruins stormed back in the second frame. BU leapt out to a 5-0 lead with junior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) behind the service line. Belmont kept rolling and blew its lead up to 12-5. Eastern Kentucky rallied and knotted the score at 18-18. However, BU regained control of the set and used kills by redshirt sophomore Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) and junior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) to move towards sealing the win. The Colonels threatened at the end of the set but kills by freshman Hannah Hickman (The Woodlands, Texas) and sophomore Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) clenched the 25-22 win.
The Bruins repeated the feat in the third set despite the initial back and forth battle over the first 15 points scored. Back-to-back kills by Hickman and Person put Belmont ahead and it remained determined to hold on to the lead down the stretch. Kills by junior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) helped BU take the set, 25-20. Not to be outdone, Eastern Kentucky rallied to take the fourth frame, 25-18, and force a fifth and deciding set.
The fifth set was a furious battle of wills between the teams. Belmont came out early ahead 10-2, staggering the Colonel efforts on both sides of the ball. Even with burning both of its timeouts, EKU could not find an answer for a Bruin team firing on all cylinders. With junior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, lll.) serving, BU rolled off six of those points consecutively. EKU managed one last surge, closing the gap to just four points, 14-10 but an attack error handed Belmont its 15th point to secure the match win.
Person led all attackers with 19 kills while Simmons added 11 with Hickman and Lewis contributing 10 kills apiece. Price notched another double-double with a match-high 46 assists and 17 digs. Ivancich recorded a match-high 22 digs and a pair of service aces.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, October 14 with a contest on the road at Southeast Missouri State. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. Live stats will be available and the duel can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
