Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In a five-set thriller, Belmont University volleyball took down crosstown rival Tennessee State, 3-2, after a back-and-forth affair at Kean Hall on Tuesday night.
The win is Belmont's first road victory over the Tigers since 2014, and secures a season sweep of their Music City conference foe.
The Bruins (6-12, 4-4 OVC) won 25-19, 26-28, 28-26, 17-25, 15-7 to grab the win in their first five-set match of the season.
Taylor Floyd led the way with a season-high 20 kills, hitting .241 with 13 digs.
Seniors Carly Mason and Kailee Bass both recorded career-highs in kills, adding 11 each to complement Floyd's big night.
Izzy Schauer dished out 40 assists and picked up 12 digs, while also providing three of Belmont's ten service aces on the night. The ten aces were the most for the Bruins this fall since the season-opener against Alcorn State.
Similar to their first meeting, when three of the four sets went to extra points, Tuesday night's clash see-sawed between two hungry teams that were well-versed in what their opponent did well.
Belmont controlled the first set thanks to the hot starts by Floyd and Mason, who picked up a combined 11 kills on just 22 swings to lead the Bruins to a 25-17 win.
In the second set, the Bruins roared back after trailing 16-20 to tie things at 22-22, and went blow-for-blow with the Tigers, tying 24-24 and 26-26 before Tennessee State (9-8, 1-7 OVC) pulled out a 28-26 win to get even at 1-1.
Belmont got a tight victory of their own in Game 3, in large part thanks to six more big kills from Floyd.
With great passing and a couple service aces sprinkled in, the Bruins kept pace in a deadlocked set in which neither team led by more than two points the entire way. Belmont eventually edged out a 28-26 win to grab a 2-1 lead.
Tied 2-2 after falling 17-25 in the fourth set, the Bruins regrouped and threw the first punch in the decisive Game 5, jumping out in front and winning 15-7. Bass picked up three kills on just six swings in the final frame to lead the Bruins to the thrilling road victory.
"Our big thing has been 'win the mini-games,' first to five, first to ten, first to 15, first to 20, first to 25. I think they really lived that motto in the fifth set, and if you listen to them they kept talking about 'one point at a time, let's get to five' and then when we got to five it was 'one point at a time, let's get to ten.' I think they really focused on that, and they didn't let points get away from them. They were really intentional in their movements and their discipline." --head coach Katelyn Harrison
The Bruins finally return home after their five-match road trip for a pair of contests against Eastern Illinois (7-10, 0-7 OVC) this weekend at the Curb Event Center. First serve on Friday, Oct. 15, is set for 6 p.m., while action on Saturday, Oct. 16, will begin at 4 p.m.
Friday's match will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be available for both contests.
Follow Belmont volleyball on social media - @BelmontVB on Twitter and @belmontvball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
