Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont Volleyball dug deep to put out a win in five sets on Saturday afternoon in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins (7-6, 2-0 OVC) held off Eastern Kentucky (-14, 1-1 OVC), 3-2, to improve to 2-0 in the early OVC season. This marks the third consecutive season BU has opened conference play sweeping the weekend's matches.
The first frame opened with an intense back and forth effort by both teams before EKU pulled ahead, 20-14 and did not look back. Closing the set with a 3-0 run, the Colonels took set one, 25-18. The Bruins came out hot to start the second set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead following kills by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and seniors Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) and Brie Lewis (Stilwell, Kan.). Eastern Kentucky rallied to knot the set, 10-10, but BU regrouped and was able to build a small point differential.
Back-to-back blocks by Person and freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) lifted BU to a 13-11 advantage. The Bruins kept pushing and pulled ahead 16-12, forcing the Eastern Kentucky bench to burn a timeout. BU maintained its three-point differential down the stretch, despite another called EKU timeout. The Bruins were first to reach 20 points and took advantage of Colonel attack errors to continue to keep distance between the teams. EKU closed the gap to two points, 23-21, but a kill by senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and Colonel attacking errors handed BU the set, 25-21.
EKU battled back to take the third stanza in much of the same manner as the first. Capitalizing on an 8-1 run, the Colonels jumped ahead, 16-9. Belmont was able to narrow the gap to two points, 17-15, with a resounding kill by Vestal. However, fueled by a 7-2 run, Eastern Kentucky was able to snatch the third set, 25-18.
A frenzied back and forth effort marked the start of the crucial fourth stanza. Eastern Kentucky was able to use a rally to build a 14-11 lead, pushing Belmont to call a timeout. Immediately after the brief break, it was BU's turn to create a rally of its own. Lifted by a 5-0 run, the Bruins regained the lead, 17-14, and a stunned Colonel bench called timeout after a big kill by Lewis. The hits kept coming as BU intensified its attack and soon was ahead 21-18, forcing the Colonels to call their final timeout of the set. The break did little slow Belmont's momentum down the stretch as it took the set, 25-22, behind a kill by Person.
In the fifth and deciding set, a service ace and an attack error put the Colonels ahead by one early, 4-3, but the Bruins hustled to bounce back. Belmont fell behind 7-5 and called timeout to settle down in the do-or-die situation. EKU was the first to eight points but Belmont used a kill by Person after the switch to make it a one-point set, 8-7. Suddenly, the Bruins exploded behind an 8-0 run to put match point in their sights, leading 14-8. The Colonels did not go away easy, narrowing the point differential to just two points, 14-12, with the help of Belmont attack errors. However, it would be a kill down the middle by Vestal that would seal the deal for BU to win the set, 15-12, and the match.
A trio of Bruins reached double digits in kills, led by Person, who recorded a match-high 17. She was followed by junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) and Lewis, who added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Freshman Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) and junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) contributed 22 and 19 assists, respectively. Senior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) and Vestal led the defensive effort with 14 and 12 digs, respectively. LePage was near impossible to stop at the net, collecting a match and career-high eight block assists.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, September 26, wrapping its first stretch of OVC play hosting crosstown rival Tennessee State. 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.
