Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A total team effort all over the court aided Belmont Volleyball (9-4, 3-0 OVC) in picking up a win in the Curb Event Center on Friday night. The Bruins held off in-state foe Tennessee Tech (5-12, 1-3 OVC), 3-1, to remain undefeated on their home court.
The Bruins were hot to open the first frame, going up 7-2, punctuated with a crosscourt kill by sophomore Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) that forced the Golden Eagles to call its first timeout. Belmont did not let up as it cruised through the midpoint of the set, seeing great kills by Mullins and juniors Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.). Five straight points with junior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) serving put BU on top, 13-5. Tennessee Tech was unable to find any rhythm offensively as Belmont cruised to the 25-14 win in set one.
The second set opened as the complete reversal with Tennessee Tech going up 7-3 early, forcing Belmont to burn a timeout. BU remained within striking distance but the Golden Eagles were able to expand their lead to as many as 16-9. BU rallied and closed the gap to four points, 17-13. Suddenly, TTU needed a timeout to regroup. The teams remained separated by three points for several possessions until the Golden Eagles took advantage of some untimely Bruin attack errors. Back-to-back kills handed Tennessee Tech the 25-19 win the second frame.
Bruins came out of the locker room and attacked quickly at the start of set three. A pair of aces by redshirt sophomore Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) fueled a BU run that put them ahead, 12-7. Belmont kept surging and used a kill by Lewis to pull away, 19-11, and force TTU to call timeout. The pause did nothing to slow the Bruin momentum and they team rolled to a 25-13 win in the third frame.
The programs traded points in the fourth sets to start out before Belmont pulled away, 7-3. The Golden Eagles were once again the first to call timeout but this time they were able to briefly swing the momentum in their favor, inching to within one, 12-11. However, BU rebounded and used a service ace by Lewis to build the gap, 14-11. Tennessee Tech called its final timeout of the set but it did not slow the Bruins' attack. With freshman Keely Hardin (Round Rock, Texas) behind the service line, BU railed off a series of points that put it ahead, 19-14. With victory in their sights, the Bruins stepped on the gas and used kills by Person, sophomore Courtlyn Ison (Ooltewah, Tenn.) to move towards match point. TTU failed to return an attack and the Bruins clenched the final set, 25-15.
For the second match in a row, at least three Bruins reached double digits in kills – Person, who was honored pregame for recording her 1,000th career kill, finished with a match-high 18, followed by Mullins, who set a new career high with 13 and Lewis who collected 12. Junior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) tallied 46 assists alone to TTU's team total of 28. Price led in digs with 14, followed by Ivancich with 13.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday afternoon, hosting Jacksonville 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.
