Volleyball Keeps Undefeated Streak Alive in Rout of Evansville
Belmont’s volleyball team remained undefeated in Missouri Valley Conference play after beating the University of Evansville in three sets on Saturday.
It took the Bruins less than 90 minutes of play to overpower Evansville’s potent offense and improve to 4-0 in conference play.
“I think [Evansville] has a lot of great young players that keep getting better,” said Belmont’s head coach Fritz Rosenberg. “We’re prepared for a fight every time we play them.”
As the first set approached match point, Belmont was up by a slim two points, 18-16.
After an ace by senior Brenna Kauffeld and several kills by sophomore Erin McMullen and senior Emily Warmenhoven, a service error by opponent McKenzie Laubach resulted in the ultimate point for the Bruins, 25-22.
Strong defense continued to be in practice, directing the Bruins towards a large lead in the second set.
To break a 1-1 tie at the start of set two, sophomore Mya Bolton dug the ball and returned it with an attack. Keegan then assisted freshman Sydnee Nelson with over five return kills to start a series of winning streaks, ending the set ahead of Evansville 25-12.
Keegan and Nelson “have worked really well together [for] more than just this year,” said Rosenberg. “They are close off the court, and I think that translates to on the court.”
During set three, Evansville had a combination of service and attack errors. Although those errors offered great advantages, Belmont gradually built its lead to 18-10 after a dig from Warmenhoven that assisted Kauffeld's kill.
Junior Lucy Kay and Kauffeld defended the lead by returning the ball with kills each time Evansville attempted an attack. After an Evansville kill made the score 16-9, Kay dove to the floor to return the next attack, aiming at open center over the net.
Kay raised the lead to 19-12, while Kauffeld padded it to 22-15 and scored the final match point with an assist from sophomore Jordan Czajkowski.
The next time the Bruins defend their undefeated conference record will be Thursday against Southern Illinois University at the Curb Event Center.
This article was written by Ariel Murphy
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