Clemons Leads Volleyball to Third Straight Conference Win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Behind 17 kills from Kristen Clemons on her birthday, the Belmont University volleyball team roared to their first-ever Missouri Valley Conference sweep in program history on Saturday night, defeating Indiana State in straight sets. 

It marks the third straight win for the Bruins, and caps a 3-0 week that saw wins over Murray State, Evansville, and now Indiana State. 

Belmont (7-11, 3-2 MVC) took down the Sycamores, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21, for both their first-ever win over Indiana State and their first sweep of the season. 

"We're playing really well and starting to gel together as a team," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "We've held the same lineup for a pretty good stretch, which I think is a big part of that. Overall it's feeling good, we're firing on all cylinders, and I think having other people be able to step up and perform on nights when we need them to is really nice. It's fun to see the ball move around the net a little bit." 

For the first time since 2018, the Bruins now ride a three-match winning streak against conference opponents. 

Clemons was phenomenal all night, collecting 17 kills, one off her career-high, while hitting an eye-popping .500 with only three attack errors. 

Brooke Gilleland nearly hit double-digit kills for the sixth match in a row but ended the night with nine, while Lauren Walsh added eight kills. 

Peyton O'Brien dished out 38 assists with seven digs and helped Belmont hit an efficient .282 for the match. 

Eight service aces, including three from Laura Shoopman and two each from O'Brien and Rachel McBride, helped push Belmont out to comfortable leads in all three frames. 

In the first set, six kills from Clemons and four total team blocks helped set the tone early, as the Bruins led 7-2 and 19-10 on the way to a 25-20 victory. 

In the second set, the Bruins hit an efficient .326, picking up 16 kills to only two errors while getting eight total kills from Walsh and Shoopman. 

In the third set, more clean volleyball from the home side resulted in a convincing 25-21 win that secured the sweep. 

The match was dominated by the Bruins, with only four total lead changes the entire night. Belmont is now one of four teams in the MVC with a winning conference record two weekends into the conference slate. 

Up Next 

Belmont will make their second plane trip of the season when they travel to Chicago, Illinois, next weekend to take on UIC on Friday, October 7, at 6 p.m. The Bruins will then face Valparaiso in Valparaiso, Indiana, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 8. 

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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