Box Score CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a strong start, Belmont University volleyball fell in straight sets to OVC-leading Austin Peay at the Dunn Center in Clarksville on Friday night.
The Bruins (8-13, 6-5 OVC) dropped the match 24-26, 16-25, and 21-25, snapping a three-match conference winning streak.
Four Bruins finished with at least seven kills to highlight a balanced attack: Laura Shoopman (9), Lauren Walsh (8), Taylor Floyd (7), and Mary Catherine Ball (7).
Carly Mason tallied 21 assists, and Izzy Schauer chipped in ten assists to go along with eight digs.
Belmont got off to a strong start, pushing Austin Peay (16-7, 9-1 OVC) for every point in the first set. Neither team led by more than two after the Bruins jumped in front, 3-0, to start the night.
Hitting an efficient .268 in the set, Belmont tied things 17-17, 21-21, and 24-24 before Austin Peay was able to rattle off two tense points to take Game 1, 26-24.
In the second frame, Belmont continued to battle, hanging tight with the Governors and leading 15-13 more than halfway through the set. However, a furious Austin Peay rally turned the game on its head, as the Governors went on a 12-1 run to win 25-16 in Game 2.
"I thought we had a game and a half where we played pretty well," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "If you look at it, I think we won most of the mini-games—to five, to ten, to fifteen, and to twenty in Game 1. And then in Game 2, obviously, we were the first to 15. So I thought it was a good game-and-a-half against the number one team in the conference. Our biggest thing is the consistency that I've talked about all year—we've got to be more consistent."
After jumping in front with the 2-0 set lead, Austin Peay kept Belmont off balance with another back-and-forth third set. Despite four kills and four digs from Shoopman, when the dust settled, the Governors had clinched a 3-0 win with a 25-21 final in the frame.
Belmont was effective from the service line in the loss, recording four service aces to just three service errors.
Taylor Floyd and Rachel McBride each finished with 11 digs.
Austin Peay's conference-leading offense showcased why they've been so effective during OVC play, hitting .317 as a team over the course of the match.
"I think Austin Peay did a really good job of finding a weakness, and continuing to attack it," Harrison said. "So tomorrow we're just going to regroup and refocus, and I think that hopefully the team feels that we can do it, that we can beat this team. I think this is an opportunity tomorrow for us to show them that they didn't get our best version of us, and just come out tomorrow different."
Up Next
Belmont gets a rematch with Austin Peay on Saturday, Oct. 23. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on both BelmontBruins.com and on the official app of the Belmont Bruins.
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.
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