DES MOINES, Iowa – The Belmont University volleyball team (14-11, 11-3 MVC) fell to Drake in four sets Saturday night inside the Knapp Center. The Bruins battled through a pair of close sets and responded with a third-set victory but were unable to complete the comeback, closing their Iowa road trip with back-to-back losses.
Belmont vs. Drake (L, 1-3)
Belmont opened the match with a kill from Sydnee Nelson before the freshman added a solo block to put the Bruins ahead 7-5. Belmont continued to build momentum, extending its advantage to 10-6 and maintaining a narrow lead through the middle of the frame. Drake battled back to tie the score at 15-15, but Nelson responded with consecutive kills to keep the Bruins in contention. The teams continued to trade points late in the set before Brenna Kauffeld delivered a block to bring Belmont within two at 20-22. Emily Warmenhoven followed with a kill, but the Bulldogs held off the Bruins' late push to take the opening set, 25-23.
The second set featured another competitive start, with both teams trading points through a 9-9 tie. Lucy Kay contributed a kill to even the score at 5-5 before adding a block to tie the frame again at 6-6. Drake began to create separation midway through the set, building a 15-12 advantage and maintaining control as Belmont worked to close the gap. Despite several late efforts from the Bruins, the Bulldogs held on to take the second set, 25-19, and build a 2-0 match lead.
Belmont responded in the third set with a change in its defensive lineup as Madison Lansdown entered at libero. Kay delivered a block to give the Bruins an early 5-2 advantage before Connie Kofoed added a service ace to push the lead to 7-5. The Bruins began to build momentum through multiple scoring runs, highlighted by a four-point stretch that included a Warmenhoven kill and Kauffeld block to extend Belmont's lead to 17-10. McMullen followed with a powerful kill to make it 19-11 as the Bruins continued to control the frame. Drake attempted a late comeback, but Kauffeld delivered a block to bring up set point before McMullen sealed the frame with a kill, giving the Bruins a 25-23 victory and extending the match.
The Bulldogs opened the fourth set with a 4-0 run as Belmont adjusted its lineup, moving to a 5-2 formation with Alexia Smollen on the right side. Smollen responded with back-to-back kills, but Drake continued to find success offensively, putting together several scoring runs to maintain its advantage. Belmont attempted to rally behind a McMullen kill and block, followed by a service ace from Jordan Czajkowski. The Bruins later put together a five-point run with kills from Kay and Warmenhoven to narrow the deficit. Despite the late push, Drake closed out the set, 25-20, to secure the four-set victory.
What's Bruin
- Lucy Kay tied for the match high with 15 kills while hitting .344 and added six blocks.
- Emily Warmenhoven recorded 11 kills, three digs and three blocks.
- Sydnee Nelson contributed seven kills, a team-high 15 digs and two blocks.
- Erin McMullen led the match with seven blocks.
- Mya Bolton added 10 digs, four assists and one service ace.
Up Next
Belmont returns to Nashville for its final two home matches of the regular season, hosting Bradley on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. CT for Senior Night before facing Illinois State on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1:30 p.m. CT. Both matches will take place inside the Curb Event Center and stream live on ESPN+, with live stats available through GoBelmontBruins.com.
Follow @BelmontVB on X (Twitter) and @belmontvball on Instagram for complete coverage. Stay up to date with all Belmont Athletics through the official Belmont Bruins app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
