Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- One night after falling to Murray State in straight sets, Belmont University volleyball got a measure of vengeance on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Racers, 3-1, in a crucial conference contest inside the Curb Event Center.
The Bruins won 25-23, 25-20, 12-25, 25-18, to secure their seventh OVC win and snap a five-match Murray State win streak.
"To have a rebound win like that after last night was really exciting," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "It showed a lot of maturity in our team to come back from that last night--we made a few changes, and I thought they really executed them well."
The win is the first for Belmont over Murray State since the two teams met in the 2015 OVC Championship, and moves the Bruins to 7-3 at home this season.
Belmont (9-15, 7-7 OVC) collected a remarkable 12.0 blocks in the victory, their most since a loss to Chicago State back on Sept. 10. Leading the charge was Kailee Bass with six block assists, Sydney Willis with a solo block and four block assists, and Laura Shoopman with one solo block and three block assists.
Shoopman shined from the jump on Saturday, collecting a game-high 17 kills with just four attack errors, good for an efficient .351 hitting percentage.
As a team, Belmont hit .256 on the match, thanks in part to the dynamic setting of Izzy Schauer, who picked up 22 assists, and Carly Mason, who chipped in 19 assists. Schauer also led the team in digs, with 14, to power Belmont defensively.
Mary Catherine Ball recorded nine kills on a .438 attack percentage and added three block assists.
Belmont shook off Friday's disappointing performance with a great start in the first set, ripping off a 7-0 run to take a 14-8 lead.
The Bruins improved their advantage to 23-18 before Murray State (13-10, 7-6 OVC) was able to rattle off a late surge that pulled the Racers back within a point at 23-22.
However, back-to-back kills from Shoopman closed things out for Belmont, who took the opening frame 25-23.
The Bruins kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second set, hitting an eye-popping .433 to rock the Racers with a 25-20 set win. Shoopman picked up five kills and Taylor Floyd tallied four kills en route to the home side earning a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Murray State wasn't going down quietly, coming back with a dominant Game 3 that saw the Racers win 25-12. Murray State hit .478 and took advantage of nine Belmont attack errors to force the match into a fourth set.
The Bruins recovered their early-match form with another strong showing in the fourth set, closing out the Racers, 25-18, to snap their three-match losing streak.
"I thought Murray State played well, and in that Game 3 they really attacked us" Harrison said. "We obviously didn't respond in Game 3, but I thought that they made a good mental adjustment between Game 3 and Game 4 and came out in set four ready to end it and not go to five."
Belmont will travel to Morehead, Ky., next weekend for a pair of matches against Morehead State on Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6.
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.
