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Box Score 2 MARTIN. Tenn. -- Despite a strong start and forcing extra sets, Belmont Volleyball was unable to take either match of a doubleheader on the road Wednesday. The Bruins (0-6) were held off at UT Martin (5-1) in both contests, 3-1.
The opening set was a tight back and forth battle early with UTM barely allowing the Bruins to get closer than five points at a time. By the media break, the home team saw its lead whittled down to three, 15-12. A flurry of kills from newcomer Ally Peterson (Kenyon, Minn.) and junior Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) capped with a service ace by Laura Shoopman (Salem, Wisc.) saw the Skyhawks burn their first timeout as BU took the lead, 18-16. Belmont extended its run to reach the 20-point plateau first. Two quick kills by Shoopman and Floyd lifted Belmont to a four-point advantage, 22-18, and forced the Skyhawks to utilize their final timeout. The pause did not slow the visitors down as the Bruins held on for the 25-21 win.
In the second set, the Skyhawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start. BU was able to log its first point, thanks to a kill by freshman Kristen Clemons (Louisville, Ky.), before the home team rolled off six-straight points to expand its lead. The Bruins called timeout to strategize and came out of the pause in the action to quickly score. The Bruins continued to chip away at the UTM lead but the Skyhawks used a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 16-8. Belmont called for its final timeout but the break did not do much to cool off UTM. The home team continued to roll and closed the frame with a 7-0 flurry to take the set, 25-10.
BU logged the first two points of the third set before the Skyhawks got in gear. The Skyhawks responded and worked to build a three-point advantage. BU smartly used a timeout to regroup and began chipping away at the deficit. The Bruins called for their last timeout, trailing 19-12, after four consecutive points from the Skyhawks. Belmont dug deep and used a block assist by Floyd and sophomore Kailee Bass (Aurora, Ill.) to spur a 4-0 run. This time, it would be UTM calling for a breather. After the break, the Bruins continued to fight. Kills from Peterson, Shoopman and a Clemons service ace inched the team to within three, 24-21. An untimely error by the home team forced them to use their final timeout but UT Martin was able to find the final point to narrowly take the frame, 25-22.
In the fourth set, the teams traded points early before UT Martin was able to put six points between the teams, 12-6. Belmont would not be able to make the point differential any smaller as the Skyhawks barreled ahead to take the set, 25-15.
In the nightcap's first set, the teams traded early points as Belmont saw kills come from Floyd, Clemons, and junior Carly Mason (Forsyth, Ill.). UT Martin was able to grab a slim lead as the teams headed into the media break, 15-13. Suddenly, BU exploded for a 5-0 run to pull ahead, 19-17. The flurry forced the Skyhawks to use one of its timeouts to regroup. Belmont stayed hot after the pause and extended its run to 8-0 to go up, 22-17. UTM burned its final timeout but the Bruins did not let up and took the frame, 25-21.
In the second stanza, UT Martin worked to pull ahead early with a 5-0 run to go up, 7-4. Belmont rebounded and was able to close to gap to two points, 12-10. Three points at the media break only separated the teams but it would be enough distance that the Skyhawks would be able to maintain down the stretch. The Bruins would get as close as four points, 20-16 but UTM was able to hold out for the 25-18 win.
The third set of the nightcap saw the score stalemated four times before UTM briefly pulled away. A 3-0 flurry, thanks to kills by Floyd, Clemons and Shoopman helped Belmont grab the lead. The Skyhawks battled back and closed the scoring differential to one point, 11-10, forcing BU to call timeout. UTM continued to surge and in all recorded six straight points to knot the score, 12-12. Down the stretch, the Skyhawks wrestled the lead back from Belmont and used a late 4-0 run to go up, 23-18. The Bruins called a timeout to strategize but UTM was able to pull out the 25-19 win.
The fourth set was tightly contested early until the Bruins used a 4-0 rally to go up, 12-10. A hard kill by senior Halee Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas) was enough to knot the score, 14-14. The teams traded points after the media break until a late surge lifted UTM by three, 22-19. Belmont called a timeout in hopes of forcing a fifth set with strong play to close out the stanza. A pair of kills from Van Poppel moved the Bruins to within one, 22-21, and pushed the Skyhawks to call timeout. However, the home team was able to rally for the final points and barely take the set, 25-22.
For the day, three Bruins rang up 20-plus kills. Freshman Kristen Clemons (Louisville, Ky.) led the Bruins with 28, followed by junior Taylor Floyd (Louisville, Ky.) with 22 and sophomore Laura Shoopman (Salem, Wisc.) with 21. Junior Carly Mason (Forsyth, Ill.) averaged a double-double over the series, posting 83 assists and 18 digs. Senior Halee Van Poppel (Argyle, Texas) led BU in digs with 20, followed by Mason's 18 and junior Peyton Kelley (Normal, Ill.), who tallied 17. Clemons, Shoopman and sophomore Kailee Bass (Aurora, Ill.) each notched solo blocks. Clemons, Shoopman and freshman Sophia Hagstrom (Dallas, Texas) each logged a pair of service aces.
Belmont returns to action on February 28 with a stop at Eastern Kentucky. First serve is set for 3 p.m. Live stats will be available and the contest can be seen live on ESPN+. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-match updates.
