Box Score MURRAY, Ky. -- Forced into an extended set match for a second consecutive night, Belmont Volleyball was edged in the final points of a fifth set nailbiter on the road Friday night. The Bruins (11-11, 6-4 OVC) fell in a final rally at Murray State (14-7, 6-3 OVC), 3-2.
Belmont jumped out to a 5-1 lead to open the first frame, lifted on a 3-0 run thanks to a pair of kills by senior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) and one from junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.). The Racers were able to knot the score 6-6 after unleashing their own flurry of points. After a quick back and forth battle, the Bruins used a 4-0 run, capped with a service ace by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) to take a 13-9 lead. MSU inched to within one point but BU leapt ahead 21-17, forcing the Racers to call their first timeout of the set. The Bruins would only allow Murray State to add two more points as they took the set, 25-19.
After opening the stanza with a service ace by junior Haley Sullivan (Lemont, Ill.), the Bruins had to contend with a Racer rally to the tune of five straight points to go up, 6-2. BU added three more points before Murray State exploded again, this time going up 11-5, forcing the Bruins to call their first timeout of the night. The brief break in the action was all Belmont needed to rebound, doing so with an ace by Vestal surrounded by three attack errors by the Racers to move BU to within five, 13-9. MSU called its own timeout as the Bruins continued to close the scoring differential. Belmont put together a rally, capitalizing on Racer errors, eventually knotting the score 20-20 after back-to-back kills by Person and junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.). A stunned Racer bench called its final timeout of the set to strategize but Belmont kept surging, going on to take the stanza, 25-23.
The teams traded point to open the third stanza before the Racers were briefly able to gain the lead. However, kills by Mullins helped move Belmont to within one point. Murray State surged once again and doubled up on the Bruins, 12-6, forcing the Bruins to burn a timeout. The Racers accomplished the feat again, this time taking a 16-8 lead after three consecutive attack errors by the Bruins. A called timeout did little to slow MSU as it cruised to clench the set, 25-15.
The Bruins came out hot at the top of the fourth set, grabbing a 5-3 lead with hard hit balls that Murray State struggled to return over the net. However, the Racers were finally able to control their efforts. MSU stayed hot on BU's heels and went on to knot the score, 10-10. Belmont used a 4-0 run to take the lead, 14-10, before Murray State fired back with its own rally and regained the lead, 16-14. A stunned BU bench called timeout to get settled at the critical juncture. In all, the Racers used an 8-2 flurry to pull ahead, 20-16. The Bruins rallied late as the contest's energy was raised to a fever pitch. Belmont battled back to within one, 24-23. The Racers called timeout in hopes to stopping the streaking Belmont team but it kept charging.
Belmont knotted the score on a pair of long attacks by the Racers but MSU was also able to capitalize on Bruin mistakes late. BU called timeout trailing, 26-25, and immediately knotted the score behind a kill by Person. The score would be stalemated twice more before the set turned into a game of inches. The Racers used a kill to go ahead, 29-28, before a long Bruin attack handed the set to Murray State, 30-28.
The teams traded points to start the final frame, knotting the score five times before Murray grabbed an 8-6 lead at the switch. The Bruins wasted little time getting back to scoring points. A hot kill from senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) at the net lifted Belmont to a 12-9 lead, punctuating a 4-0 run. The Racers dug in their collective heels and pulled to within one, 12-11. The score would go on to be knotted three more times as fans of both teams stood to their feet. Belmont stood at match point for a pair of opportunities but had unfortunate back-to-back errors. The Bruins called timeout, trailing by one, 16-15. Both teams came out of the brief break at fever pitch but it appeared that BU was almost too excited and sent the score tying attack long, securing the 17-15 victory for Murray State.
Three Bruins reached double digits in kills led by Person with a match-high 21. She was followed by Nichols and Mullins, who added 14 and 12, respectively. For the first time this season, four Bruins reached double figures in digs, led by senior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.), who recorded a match and season-high 29. She was followed by senior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) and Person, who each contributed 18, and junior Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), who added 12. Price finished with a match and season-high 59 assists. Senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) notched a match and career-best seven block assists.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, October 27 on the road at Eastern Kentucky. Match time is set for 5 p.m. CT. Live stats will be available. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
