Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- Scattered unforced errors aided in snapping Belmont Volleyball's Ohio Valley Conference win streak on Saturday afternoon. Even with late rallies to force a fifth and deciding set, the Bruins (8-7, 3-1 OVC) fell at SIUE (12-4, 2-2 OVC), 3-2.
The Bruins got off to an uncharacteristically sluggish start to open the first set, falling behind 7-1 before timeout was called. Immediately out of the brief break, BU scored a point behind a kill from graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.). The point differential eventually grew to nine points, 19-10, and Belmont called its second timeout, however it seemed to do little to cool the Cougars. Despite late kills from senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and a handful of SIUE errors, Belmont could not overcome the early deficit and fell, 25-14.
After another slow start, Belmont clawed back into the second set and narrowed the gap to one point, 9-8. The Bruins stayed hot on the Cougars' heels and knotted the set, 13-13, behind a kill by junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.). The flurry caused SIUE to burn a timeout that did little to slow BU. The Bruins went on to grab the lead, 16-14, behind back-to-back blocks from the combination of Nichols, graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and senior Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.). The score would be knotted four ties before Belmont surged behind a 4-0 scoring rally to pull ahead, 21-18. Down the stretch, the Bruins used kills from senior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) to secure the 25-23 win.
The teams slipped into a back and forth early in the third stanza before the Cougars used a 5-0 run to go up, 8-5. BU won a point on the side out but SIUE used another flurry of points to take a 12-6 lead. Belmont called timeout but the Cougars continued their scoring onslaught. BU made a late run, trailing by seven, 18-11, following kills from freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) and Lewis. However, SIUE continued to outpace the Bruins en route to taking the set, 25-16.
Unforced errors continued to plague the Bruins through the fourth frame. After jumping out to a 5-3 lead, BU fell behind but quickly rallied to stay in the set through the midpoint. A 4-0 run put Belmont ahead, 12-11 and saw the Cougars burn a timeout. The teams emerged the brief break and fell into a back and forth battle before Belmont rolled off four straight points to take an 18-14 lead. The Bruins maintained their four-point advantage down the stretch. SIUE called its final timeout of the set after a service ace by Lewis put Belmont ahead, 20-16. The Bruins continued to scratch and claw for every point to eke out the win. A service ace from Vestal helped build momentum for a kill by Nichols that put the set win in reach before Cougar attack errors handed the set to BU, 25-19.
After winning the first point in the fifth set, Belmont saw the Cougars roll off four straight points. SIUE's lead expanded to a 6-1 advantage before the Bruins would add another point, courtesy of a Lewis kill. The Cougars were able to capitalize on untimely BU errors and took an 8-3 lead at the switch. Belmont called a timeout to regroup and saw Person carry the team on her back through the second half of the frame. She rolled off a total of four kills in the waning points. Unfortunately, it was not enough as SIUE was able to push for the 15-10 win.
Person led all attackers with a match-high 18 kills. Lewis added 12 kills in the effort and tallied a solo block. Freshman Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) finished with 22 assists while junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) contributed 16. Senior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) notched a match-high 18 digs. Person reached her first double-double of the OVC campaign with 12 digs.
Belmont returns to action on the road Friday, October 6 for more OVC action. The Bruins travel to in-state rival Tennessee Tech for a duel beginning at 6 p.m. Live stats will be available and the match can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
