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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont University volleyball showed few signs of rust in their season opener on Friday afternoon, cruising to a 3-0 win over Alcorn State in straight sets before picking up a 3-1 victory over North Alabama to begin the Music City Invitational.
The back-to-back wins in the span of just eight hours marks the first time since 2017 that Belmont has won two matches in the same day.
Belmont won 25-16, 25-14, and 25-20 to get their first victory of the season on Friday afternoon.
Laura Shoopman started the game red-hot, recording six kills on her first six swings to kickstart the Bruins offense. The junior from Salem, Wisc. would go on to finish the match with seven kills, nine digs, and six of Belmont's ten service aces.
The Bruins dominated the net, collecting ten total team blocks to the Lady Braves' four. Taylor Floyd led the offense with eight kills and picked up five block assists as well.
Belmont won 25-17, 26-24, 17-25, and 25-20 in Friday night's clash against North Alabama to get their second straight win.
The Bruins hit .306 in the first set and .317 in the second set, but North Alabama battled back to get on the scoreboard with a win in the third frame. The Bruins bounced right back, however, putting their foot on the gas from the first serve in the fourth set and leading the whole way en route to a 25-20 clincher.
The evening turned on a crucial second set, when after nine ties and three lead changes, the Bruins scraped out a 26-24 win to get a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Shoopman stayed hot from her performance earlier in the day, collecting a team-high 18 kills and 13 digs for the first Bruin double-double of the season.
Rachel McBride led the way on defense, finishing with 17 digs, including a handful of highlight-reel dives that saved Belmont more than a few points. Carly Mason put Bruin attackers in great position all night, tallying 31 assists to go along with 15 digs.
Belmont (2-0) wraps up the Music City Invitational with a home match against Indiana State on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
