Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Fueled by a whopping 14 service aces, Belmont Volleyball (6-0) defeated Georgia State (3-3) to clench the 2016 Bruiser Showcase title on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins picked up the 3-0 win (26-24, 25-19, 25-15) to go undefeated at the tournament and extend their win streak to six matches, the most consecutive wins since the 2004 campaign.
BU took an early 4-1 lead to set the tone for the final match of the tournament. The Bruins kept Georgia State an arms distance away, going up by as many as six, 15-9. GSU burned both of its timeouts in quick succession looking for an answer to the Bruins and against all odds seemed to find a spark that moved to within two, 19-17. Georgia State surged once again and pulled within one, 23-22, forcing Belmont to battle through to extra points for the first time this season to win a set. The Panthers tied the match at 24 but BU pushed for the 26-24 win, taking advantage of late attack errors by their opponent.
The Panthers took the early lead in set two but the Bruins battled back, staying in striking distance. Three consecutive service aces by junior Emily Richards (Penfield, N.Y.) put BU ahead, 9-7, and a stunned GSU bench quickly called timeout. However, it did not seem to take hold. The Bruins went on to unleash a whopping seven service aces, courtesy of junior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.), junior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) and Richards that put them ahead, 18-12. Georgia State used its second timeout during the flurry but BU kept pushing and used a kill by Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) to reach 20 points first. With victory so close, Belmont dug in and cruised to the 25-19 win.
The third set started with heavy back and forth action, resulting in four ties, before Belmont began to pull away. Aces by Price and classmate Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) followed by a resounding kill by Lewis forced GSU to call its final timeout to group after Belmont pulled ahead, 15-9. The pause in action only delayed the inevitable as BU rang up two more aces en route to the 25-15 win that secured the match.
Person led with seven kills, followed by redshirt junior Jessica Vestal and Nichols with six apiece. Price finished with a match-high 24 assists while Richards led the team in digs with a total of 17.
For their efforts over the two days, juniors Emma Price, Arianna Person and Emily Richards were named to the All-Tournament Team. Price earned her second consecutive tournament MVP nod.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, September 6 with a trip to No. 19 WKU. Match time is set for 7 p.m. and live stats will be available. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
2016 Bruiser Showcase All-Tournament Team
Mercer - Morgan MacGilvary, Tori Penrod
W&M - Casey Foote
Georgia State - Crystal Lee
Belmont - Emily Richards, Arianna Person, Emma Price
Tournament MVP: Emma Price
