NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University Volleyball Program (8-9, 2-1 MVC) took on Murray State (8-4, 2-1 MVC) in a midweek matchup. The Bruins topped the Racers in a five set thriller.
How it Happened
Belmont got off to a strong start in set one. The Bruins went on a 6-0 run to take a commanding 16-7 lead midway through the first. The run was backed by the hot hands of
Kristen Clemons and
Ally Peterson with two and three kills each. Belmont continued to put pressure on Murray State to go on another run to stretch their lead to 21-9.
Brenna Kauffeld later put one away to take the set for the Bruins at 25-15.
Both teams continued to trade points throughout the beginning of set two. It wasn't until Peterson got behind the service line that the Bruins would go on a 6-0 run to take a 20-12 lead. The Racers didn't stop and eventually went on a run of their own to work their way back in at 21-19. The rest of the set was a battle where Belmont ended up falling to Murray State 24-26.
Murray State ran with the momentum from the last set to take an early 7-12 lead over the Bruins. Belmont brought in
Laura Shoopman who added two kills as Belmont continued to fight in the third. Although the Bruins mixed up their offense, Darci Metzger and the Racers continued to put up big swings and take the set 19-25.
With the match on the line, the Bruins wouldn't quit. Belmont jumped to an early 8-2 lead sparked by two kills from
Kamryn Olson. Murray State later went on their own run to work their way back in at 16-13. Peterson and the rest of the Bruin offense wouldn't let up though. Belmont continued to push the tempo and claimed set four 25-17.
Set five was an absolute battle. Peterson had the hot hand for the Bruins to start the fifth. The senior rattled off four kills and an ace to tie it up at 5 all. A kill from
Brooke Gilleland gave Belmont the lead at 7-5. Murray State continued to stay in the set and later reclaimed the lead at 11-12. Peterson added two more kills to start a 4-0 run for the Bruins to take the set and match 15-12.
What's Bruin
- Peterson recorded a career high 23 kills on a .444 hitting percentage and three aces.
- Kristen Clemons added 15 kills on a .520 hitting percentage and 3 blocks for the Bruins.
- Olson ran the Belmont offense with 56 assists.
- Rachel McBride led the backcourt with 17 digs.
Up Next
The Bruins will conclude their home stand with matches against Bradley and Illinois State this weekend. Belmont will face Bradley at 6 p.m. CT on Friday and Illinois State at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found on belmontbruins.com.
Both single match and season tickets are on sale. Season tickets are $50 per seat and include all volleyball home games.
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