Box Score MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Belmont Volleyball team (3-0) capped a flawless weekend of play at the 2016 Memphis Invitational by defeating the host team, 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15), on Saturday afternoon en route to securing the tournament title.
The matchup between the in-state rivals was all Belmont to start the first set. The Bruins dominated at the net, collecting three blocks in the opening set alone while holding the Tigers to a meager .029 hitting percentage. BU pulled ahead by as many as three, 20-17, behind a service ace by junior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.). With the set win so close, the Bruins dug in and used a kill by junior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) to seal the 25-20 victory.
Memphis jumped out to an early 4-1 lead to open the second set but the Bruins came storming back and then some. The Tigers continued to lead until a huge kill into the back left corner was delivered by junior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) and the Bruins served up a pair of blocks to knot the score at 10. UM refused to relinquish the lead until late in the set as Belmont capitalized on back-to-back attack errors by the Tigers to go up, 21-18. Memphis threatened with Belmont at set point but a kill by freshman Hannah Hickman (The Woodlands, Texas) secured the 25-21 win.
Set three saw the Tigers once again begin with early pressure. UM increased its lead to five, 13-8, before Belmont called a timeout to regroup. Memphis expanded its lead to 16-8 but back-to-back service aces by junior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) sparked the Bruins to close the gap. Belmont continued to threaten down the stretch and forced UM to call a timeout after the teams were only separated by two points, 20-18. Hungry for the set win, the Tigers picked up two quick points and battled through a strong late push by the Bruins to hold on for the 25-22 set win.
The teams fell into an early back and forth battle before Belmont broke the set open with an eight-point run to go up, 15-6, with Ivancich serving, including a pair of service aces. BU blew its lead up to a staggering nine points, 19-10, with focused attacks at the net. Even after a called timeout, the Tigers seemed to have no answers for the Bruin offense. Belmont continued to roll and used a service ace by Lewis and a kill deep into the back row by redshirt senior Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) to secure the 25-15 win and the 2016 Memphis Invitational title.
Highlighting the victory was the announcement of juniors
Arianna Person and
Emma Price being named to the All-Tournament Team. Price was also tabbed Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, September 2 when its hosts its annual Bruiser Showcase. The Bruins face off against Mercer at 12:30 p.m. Video and live stats will be available. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
