Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Firing on all cylinders, Belmont Volleyball breezed by visiting UT Martin on Friday night in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins (10-9, 5-2 OVC) knocked off the Skyhawks (9-11, 3-4 OVC), 3-0, to improve to 5-2 in conference play and snap a two-match slide.
After a handful of ties to open the first set, BU got down to business. Belmont put together a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 16-12, forcing the Skyhawks to burn their first timeout of the frame. The Bruins continued to pile on the points, thanks to multiple kills by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and seniors Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.). A block by Vestal and freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) lifted the team to set point and a kill into the back row by Vestal sealed the 25-21 win.
BU lost no momentum and opened the second stanza with a 5-0 run, sparked by a pair of service aces by junior Haley Sullivan (Lemont, Ill.). The Bruins doubled up on UT Martin, 10-5, before the Skyhawks suddenly exploded on a 5-0 run and knotted the score, 11-11. Belmont called timeout to regroup and used a flurry of service aces, blocks and vicious kills to regain the lead. The Skyhawks bounced back and used a 4-0 run to take their first lead, 19-16. However, the Bruins gutted out the point differential and claimed the set 25-23 behind errors by their opponent.
The Bruins jumped out to another hot start after the break, once again pulling away 10-5 early. The Skyhawks had to use a timeout early in hopes of stopping their streaking opponent but the point differential continued to grow. By the time UTM called its final timeout, Belmont was ahead, 17-9, propelled by kills by Person, LePage and junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.). The Skyhawks could find no answers to the Bruin offense, falling behind by as many as eight points down the stretch. A UTM service error set Belmont at match point before Person smashed a kill between defenders to take the set, 25-16.
A pair of Bruins finished with double doubles - Person recorded a match-high 18 kills and 13 digs while junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) notched the first of the season with a match-high 35 assists and 14 digs. Lewis added 10 digs in the effort. Nichols finished with the lone solo block of the night. Sullivan notched a pair of service aces, matching her season-best output.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday in the Curb Event Center, hosting Southeast Missouri State. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Live stats will be available and the matchup can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
