Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont Volleyball dug in its collective heels to pull out a total team effort win to start Senior Weekend on Friday evening. The Bruins (13-14, 8-7 OVC) battled back a rising Jacksonville State (22-12, 8-7 OVC), 3-1, in the Curb Event Center to keep their OVC Tournament hopes alive.
BU jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before the Gamecocks were able to get settled into the opening set.
Belmont continued to roll to a six-point advantage, 11-5, forcing the Gamecocks to call timeout. JSU answered back with a 3-0 run of its own to quickly trim the deficit but senior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.), who was honored pre-match with a ball commemorating her becoming Belmont's all-time leader in kills, delivered a booming kill down the sideline to put BU back ahead comfortably. Jacksonville State surged again, inching to within three points 13-10 but the Bruins used a 3-0 flurry to expand their lead and JSU was forced to burn its second timeout of the set. The Gamecocks used its own 3-0 to close the scoring gap to four, 18-14 but a pair of kills by junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) lifted Belmont over the 20-point plateau. Person closed the set for BU with a trio of kills to secure the 25-19 win.
The teams traded points early in the second stanza, falling into four ties before a 4-0 run put Belmont ahead, 11-8. JSU called its first timeout in hopes of cooling the hot Bruins. After the brief break, the Gamecocks were able to reverse their fortunes, rolling off their own 4-0 flurry. This time, it would be BU to call timeout as JSU extended its run to 5-0 before the Bruins clawed back and knotted the set, 13-13. A pair of kills by junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) looked to spark the team through the midpoint, knotting the score 14-14. However, Belmont fell behind once again, this time for good. Even with a late timeout called, the Bruins were only able to narrow the score to four as Jacksonville State took the set, 25-20.
After intermission, another back and forth battle marked the early points of the third frame. The teams would be tied 10 times before the Bruins broke the stalemate with a 4-0 run thanks to back-to-back kills by senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) that put them ahead, 14-12. JSU was forced to call its first timeout. Belmont kept piling on the points to the tune of an eventual 7-0 run that put it ahead, 17-12. A stunned JSU bench called timeout and it allowed them to put together a brief rally to close the gap to three points, 18-15. BU called its first timeout of the frame and Nichols came out swinging, to open up a 3-0 run to take a 21-15 lead. Belmont would only allow the Gamecocks to add three more points en route to its 25-18 win.
The Gamecocks opened the fourth set with a 3-0 run before the Bruins got a foothold back in the set. BU went on to force four scoring stalemates before JSU slowly built a four-point lead, 15-11, However, Belmont would made a run of its own to once again knot the score, this time at 15-15, courtesy of kills by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.), Nichols, Person, and senior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.). All told, Belmont rolled off six consecutive points to take a 17-15 lead but the Gamecocks fired back with a 3-0 run to briefly take the lead once again, 18-17. Another 4-0 run lifted Belmont over the 20-point threshold and it never looked back. The Bruins would only allow JSU to add three more points as they streaked toward the 25-21 win with kills raining down from Lewis and Person.
Person led all attackers with a season-high 24 kills and 10 digs to log the lone double-double of the contest. Nichols finished with 11 kills. Price tallied 44 assists to the entire JSU team tally of 41 while classmate Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) notched a match-high 23 digs. Lewis rang up a new career-high in block assists, tallying a match-high nine.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday for its regular season finale in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host Tennessee Tech beginning at 2 p.m. Prior to first serve, BU will honor its senior class – Jessica Vestal, Emma Price, Arianna Person, Emily Richards, Brie Lewis, Alexa Nichols, and Ellie Ivancich – in a pre-match ceremony. The match can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will also be available. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
