Volleyball Secures First Missouri Valley Conference Win With Victory Over Murray State

MURRAY, Ky. -- The Belmont University volleyball team powered their way to the first Missouri Valley Conference win in program history on Tuesday night, taking down Murray State on the road in four sets. 

Belmont (5-11, 1-2 MVC) took down the Racers, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20, marking their first win over Murray State at Racer Arena since their victory in the 2015 OVC Championship game sent the Bruins to their fourth NCAA Tournament. 

After dropping the opening frame, Belmont rattled off three straight set wins, relying on clutch plays down the stretch in each game to grab control. 

Laura Shoopman finished with a match-high 15 kills, with Brooke Gilleland adding 12 and Kristen Clemons chipping in 11. Clemons also tallied a career-high four service aces, leading a potent Bruin service charge that collected eight aces. 

Belmont out-blocked Murray State (4-9, 0-3 MVC) 11.0 to 5.0, turning away attacks time and time again to establish a dominant presence at the net. 

Sydney Willis led the way with five blocks, while Gilleland and Lauren Walsh each were a part of four blocks. 

Peyton O'Brien dished out 40 assists with eight digs and Rachel McBride picked up a team-high 13 digs.  

Belmont hit .248 for the match, including a remarkable .353 in the match-clinching fourth set victory. 

"Any time you can come into an opponent's gym and get your first conference win, it's a big deal," head coach Katelyn Harrison said. "We haven't beat them on this floor since 2015 so obviously that's a really big accomplishment for us. That's a feisty team that battles and they don't give in, so that's a big win for us." 

Murray State edged out Belmont, 25-22, in the first set, and the second frame showcased more competitive, close volleyball, with neither side able to lead by more than three the entire way. T 

he set featured seven ties and four lead changes, but four kills from Clemons on six swings helped Belmont pull it out to even the match at 1-1. 

The Bruins found more success in the third set, racing out to a 13-7 lead on a Willis block, and hitting .270 with four total blocks to take a 2-1 lead in sets, 25-20. 

Belmont shut the door in the fourth game, holding off each Murray State push with resilient effort that helped the Bruins prolong rallies and then finish off tough points. 

"We had a really balanced attack across the front, and we talk about consistency every week, but I think tonight we really showed consistency," Harrison said, "We really battled after 20, which is something that we've struggled with throughout the season so far. It was just a really good win." 

The victory marks the second win over Murray State since the 2015 OVC title match, after Belmont split with the Racers last season at the Curb Event Center. 

Up Next 

Belmont returns home to the Curb Event Center this weekend for a pair of matches against two Missouri Valley Conference opponents from the Hoosier State. 

Belmont faces Evansville on Friday night at 6 p.m. before taking on Indiana State on Saturday at 5 p.m. 

Friday's match will be streamed on ESPN3, and live stats for both contests will be available on BelmontBruins.com, with in-game updates posted to Twitter by @BelmontVB. 

Tickets can be purchased here. 

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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