Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the ninth time this season, Belmont University Volleyball was forced into a fifth set before a winner was declared. The Bruins (15-11, 9-6 OVC) knocked off visiting Eastern Kentucky (13-14, 8-7 OVC) on Friday night in the Curb Event Center, 3-2.
The Bruins got off to a hot start to the first set, going up 4-0 before EKU could score its first point. Suddenly the contest fell into a heavy back and forth battle before the Colonels took a slim lead, 10-7. Belmont called timeout, trailing three points, 17-14, and began to chip away at the Eastern Kentucky lead down the stretch. BU used a combination of blocks courtesy of redshirt sophomore Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.), sophomore Courtlyn Ison (Ooltewah, Tenn.), junior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.), and kills by redshirt junior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) to close the gap to one point, 20-19, forcing the Colonels to burn a timeout. Belmont quickly pulled ahead, 23-20, and used back-to-back kills by Person to take the first stanza, 25-22.
The second frame opened with an immediate back and forth battle as both of the teams worked hard to pull away first. The score was knotted six times before a huge kill by Nichols down the middle of the court opened the door for the Bruins. Belmont pulled ahead, 13-9, behind kills by Ison and Person and Eastern Kentucky called a timeout to regroup. The Colonels were able to narrow the gap to two points, taking advantage of attack errors but the Bruins rebounded to rebuild its lead. BU was first to reach the 20-point threshold and EKU burned its final timeout of the set. Belmont kicked it into high gear for the final points, using a pair of kills by Ison, capped with a service ace by Person to take the set, 25-17.
Eastern Kentucky offered a bit of pushback to start the third set but the Bruins quickly regained both control and the lead. A kill down the left side by Person put Belmont on top, 10-7, and saw the Colonels burn their first timeout of the stanza. EKU hustled to knot the score 11-11 and grow a two-point lead before Belmont regained ground, tying the game 14-14 with a kill by sophomore Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.). Eastern Kentucky dug deep to pull ahead by as many as four points, even crossing the 20-point threshold first. The Bruins were able to close the gap to two points, 23-21, but the Colonels went on to claim their first set of the night, 25-23.
The start of the fourth set was all Belmont. The Bruins went on a 7-1 run before EKU could get its feet under itself. However, the Colonels began a rally that would close the gap to one point, 9-8 before a kill by Simmons helped give BU some breathing room. Belmont pulled ahead, 18-15, and Eastern Kentucky was forced to call its first timeout of the set. The Colonels came storming back after the brief break and took a one-point lead, 19-18, pushing the Bruins to call a timeout. A kill by Nichols knotted the score at 19-19 but EKU was able to use kills and services aces down the stretch to pull off the 25-21 win.
The teams traded points to start the fifth frame battling through five ties before Belmont went up 8-6 following kills by sophomore Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) and a pair by Person. However, the Colonels would string together three consecutive points to take a slim 9-8 lead. The intense back and forth battle continued with the teams locking at four more ties. Finally, Belmont dug in its collective heels and used a service ace by junior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) and back-to-back kills by Nichols to take the set, 15-12, and the match.
A trio of Bruins reached double digits in kills, led by Person's match-high 28. Nichols added 12 kills and Ison finished with 11. Person also picked up her 13th double-double of the season with 19 digs. Price logged a match-high 54 assists while Ivancich, who received a ball prior to the match starting commemorating her 1,000th career dig, recorded 23 and led the team in service aces with a total of three. Ison also tallied a match-high five block assists.
Belmont returns to action in the Curb Event Center on Saturday afternoon for the team's final regular season contest. The Bruins host Morehead State beginning at 2 p.m. The match 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.
