Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Long stretches of strong work on both sides of the ball came up just short for Belmont Volleyball on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins (0-14, 0-2 OVC) succumbed to SIUE (2-12, 1-1 OVC), 3-0, in their OVC home opener in the Curb Event Center.
The Cougars had a hot start with a 7-1 run to open the first set. The Bruins burned both of their timeouts early but unleashed a flurry of points that completely erased their double digit deficit. A kill by senior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) moved BU to within five, 18-13. SIUE roared back but the Bruins continued to surge down the stretch and forced SIUE to call a timeout only ahead by four, 21-17. A series of unfortunate Bruin errors helped seal the 25-17 win for the Cougars.
The teams opened the second frame trading points before SIUE used a 4-0 run to take a 6-2 lead. Belmont continued to battle back and soon inched to within one point, 8-7. However, the Cougars were able to keep BU at arms-length through the midpoint of the set, forcing the Bruins to call for a huddle session, trailing 17-13. In the waning points, Belmont looked to launch a massive comeback effort, but fell shy, falling 25-18.
The third stanza was filled with the same ebbs and flows of the first two. Belmont fell behind early but rallied behind kills from Mullins and classmate Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) to knot the score, 4-4. The Bruins remained within striking distance until the Cougars used a 4-2 run to take a 15-11 lead, forcing BU to call a timeout. SIUE was able to expand its lead to as many as seven before BU began effectively pushing back in the final points. Unfortunately, the Cougars were able to hang on for the 25-17 win.
Freshmen Mary Catherine Ball (Hendersonville, N.C.) and Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) led BU with six kills apiece. Sophomore Akia Warrior (Ft. Worth, Texas) finished with 16 assists while freshman Peyton Kelley (Normal, Ill.) tallied a season and career-high 19 digs in the effort. Warrior and Floyd each posted solo blocks. Mullins came away with the team's lone service ace of the match.
Belmont returns to action on Friday, September 28 with a stop at Tennessee Tech. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Live stats will be available and the contest can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
