Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ala . -- Forced to it second consecutive extended set match, Belmont Volleyball rallied but was unable to pull out a win on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins (9-8, 4-2 OVC) fell in a five set heartbreaker at Jacksonville State (16-8, 3-3 OVC), 3-2.
Belmont jumped out to a 5-3 lead early but the Gamecocks were able to rebound with a 5-0 run to gain the lead. The teams traded points until the score was knotted 14-14 with a kill by junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.). BU surged and was the first to reach 20 points behind a service ace by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and another Nichols kill. The Bruins kept the momentum up and was able to use a 4-1 run to close the set and win, 25-18.
JSU fired back in the second stanza and opened with a 3-0 run and eventually expanded its lead to six points, 12-6, before Belmont called timeout. The Bruins struggled to make up the point differential and was only able to narrow the gap to five, 20-15, behind a kill by Vestal. BU would only be able to eke out three more points as the Gamecocks rolled to the 25-19 victory.
The teams immediately began trading points to open the third set before the Gamecocks used a 5-0 run to jump ahead, 9-4. Belmont responded with a 10-0 spurt of its own to take a 14-10 lead. The Gamecocks called a timeout in the midst of the flurry but the Bruins continued to pile on the points. BU immediately called timeout to regroup and came out swinging after the brief break. Juniors Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) and Nichols and senior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) knocked down consecutive kills to help rally the Bruins. The teams fell into a back and forth battle and deadlocked at 16-16 before a solo block by freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) put BU ahead by a point. However, the Gamecocks answered back and built a 19-11 advantage by the midpoint of the frame and continued to pull away down the stretch. An 8-1 run by Jacksonville State saw it jump ahead, 23-19. The Bruins hoped a timeout would slow the onslaught but JSU continued to roll. BU made one final gasp in the final points, holding the Gamecocks to 24 points as it narrowed the gap to two points, 24-22. Unfortunately, it was not enough to prevent JSU from adding its second consecutive set win, 25-22.
Back-to-back kills by Person and LePage looked to spark BU at the top of the fourth stanza. However, the teams resumed their point trading of the earlier sets. Belmont pushed for a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 7-3, thanks to a service ace by senior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.), a kill from classmate Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and a block coming from LePage and Nichols. The Bruins held on to their 4-0 lead to the tune of 14-10, forcing the Gamecocks to call timeout. The contest tightened up through the midpoint and the teams were separated by only two points. Person smashed a kill, forcing Jacksonville State to call its second timeout, with Belmont leading, 19-17. The Bruins went on to close the frame with a 4-0 run to take the set, 25-20, and force a fifth set.
Back to back kills by Person and classmate Emily Richards (Penfield, N.Y.) put BU up early in the deciding frame. Belmont went up 5-3 before the Gamecocks began closing the gap. The Bruins continued to surge and used a run to take the lead at the switch, 8-4. The team continued its momentum and used kills by Vestal and Person to take a 10-6 lead. However, the Gamecocks also strung together a rally that made it a one point set, 10-9. Jacksonville State continued its rise and gained the lead late, propelled by a 6-1 run. BU was unable to halt the rally in the waning points, falling behind 13-11. Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to hold off the Gamecocks, despite trading late kills, and fell, 15-13.
Person led all Bruins with a double-double, courtesy of match highs in kills (18) and digs (20). Two other players reached double digits in kills – Lewis tallied 14 while Nichols added 12 kills. Mullins led the team in assists with a total of 29, followed by freshman Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas).
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, October 10 in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host longtime rival Lipscomb in the annual Battle of the Boulevard match. First serve is set for 6 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.
