Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont University volleyball fell in straight sets to rival Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Allen Arena, losing 17-25, 20-25, 18-25 in a tight Battle of the Boulevard clash.
The Bruins led 17-14 in the third set and looked primed to extend the match to a possible fourth set, but the Bisons rallied to take the match, 3-0, for their eighth straight win in the series.
Belmont still leads the all-time series, 26-19.
In the first set, the Bruins refused to go away, never trailing by more than four points until the Bisons ended the frame on a 6-2 run to close it out, 25-17.
Taylor Floyd kept Belmont in range with four first-set kills. The senior went on to finish tied for the team-high with seven kills in the match. Lauren Walsh, making her season debut, also tallied seven kills, and Laura Shoopman picked up seven kills with three service aces.
Lipscomb stayed hot in the second set, hitting .321 with three blocks and four service aces on the way to a 25-20 set win. On the match, the Bisons hit .319, including a sizzling .379 mark in the final frame.
Belmont started ferociously in the third set, jumping out to an 8-5 lead and forcing a Bisons timeout. Out of the break, the Bruins kept their foot on the gas and led 11-8 and 17-14. However, the match came to a close with a flurry of Lipscomb points, as the Bisons ripped off an 11-1 run to end things.
Belmont hit a remarkable .400 in the third set, racking up 10 kills on 20 attacks with just two errors, but couldn't quite hang on to the lead. On the night, the Bruins finished with a .171 attack percentage.
Belmont will travel to Auburn, Ala., to take part in the War Eagle Invitational on Sept. 17-18. The Bruins will begin the weekend with matches against Nicholls State and Florida A&M on Friday, Sept. 11, before wrapping up the tournament with a match against SEC foe Auburn on Saturday, Sept. 18.
