KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont University volleyball team traveled to Knoxville on Saturday afternoon to face Tennessee in their only scheduled exhibition of the fall, battling their in-state SEC foe at Thompson-Boling Arena to a close finish in three sets.
Despite 20 kills from Laura Shoopman, the Bruins fell to the Lady Volunteers, 25-20, 25-20, and 25-20.
It was a tightly contested affair between a Belmont team welcoming three new starters and a Tennessee squad picked to finish third in the SEC preseason poll, allowing the Bruins to build chemistry and compete in a match-like environment inside one of the premier venues in the country against a team receiving votes in the preliminary AVCA Coaches Poll.
"I think that given how many new people we have, the fact that we came out and played pretty cohesive volleyball right off the bat was really exciting to see," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "Overall, I think playing a team like that, picked third in the SEC, and coming out fearless and attacking and not backing down from them—it's really exciting to watch for the future, because that's a big physical team and they certainly didn't let us get any easy points."
Shoopman could not be stopped, finishing with 20 kills on 33 total attacks with a remarkable .485 hitting percentage. The junior outside hitter collected eight kills alone in the third game, powering the Bruin offense and also adding 3.0 blocks to keep Belmont within striking distance throughout the match. No other Bruin finished with more than five kills.
Syracuse transfer Peyton O'Brien chipped in 30 assists to help the Bruins hit .256 as a squad against a stout Lady Volunteer front line.
Belmont will now prepare for another match against a Southeastern Conference opponent, as they'll face Auburn in their season opener next Friday, August 26, at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The Bruins will then continue their weekend at the Panther Invitational with a tilt against Marist later on that Friday before taking on host-school Georgia State on Saturday, August 27.
The Bruins will open up their slate of games at the Curb Event Center on August 30 with a Battle of the Boulevard matchup against Lipscomb.
Single-match tickets for all of Belmont's nine home contests can be purchased here, while season tickets for all the action at the Curb this fall can be purchased here.
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