Volleyball Remains Undefeated in MVC Play
Belmont’s volleyball team remained undefeated in conference play after its 3-0 win over Indiana State Sycamores in Friday’s Missouri Valley Conference home opener.
While Belmont’s 3-8 record in non-conference play didn’t yield the results the team looked for in the win column, the lessons learned from the tough opening slate have paid dividends throughout the Bruins’ 3-0 start to MVC play.
“I think now in conference play, we know what we’re capable of, and we went out there and proved it tonight,” said senior Connie Kofoed.
The match quickly got dramatic when Belmont head coach Fritz Rosenberg unsuccessfully challenged a call that would’ve put the Bruins up 4-3 in the first set. Rosenberg followed that up with a successful challenge on the next play, tying the score at 4.
Those two challenges weren’t the only time a coach saw things differently than an official, as Rosenberg unsuccessfully challenged another call in the third set and ISU’s head coach Ted Kopacz won three of his four challenges.
“There were a few balls that you probably wish you had a few more challenges, but it’s human error – I get it,” said Rosenberg. “But you’re always going to fight for your team to get the call and get the point.”
The Bruins won the first set 25-17 after taking advantage of seven attack errors and six service errors by Indiana State.
The Sycamores entered the match averaging close to 39 combined service and attack errors per match, while Belmont averaged close to 25.
Indiana State committed 128 more combined errors than opponents heading into the match, but the team’s aggressiveness has also paid off to the tune of 77 more kills and 30 more aces.
“They are a very aggressive serving team, so they’re bound to make some errors. I think that’s the nature of their style,” said Rosenberg. “We prepared a lot for their serving pressure because I do think they’re a good serving team, and they can bring some heat.”
The Bruins limited mistakes, committing a season-low nine combined service and attack errors, and finished the match with 37 kills to Indiana State’s 38 and with three aces apiece.
All three of Belmont’s aces came from freshman Sydnee Nelson, who has seen her role increase over the last four matches.
In addition to setting a career-high in aces, Nelson also tied her career-high with 10.5 points for her third straight match with double-digit points.
“That’s a kid that comes in early and gets extra reps, and stays after practice every day,” said Rosenberg. “She’s really starting to get a feel for our team and our system, and it’s been great to see her get inserted into the lineup and do what she does.”
Nelson began the second set with a kill, and Belmont took a quick 6-0 lead that was never relinquished, eventually winning 25-14.
The third set was the most competitive of the match, with Indiana State going up 7-6 for its first lead since 6-5 in the first set.
The teams were knotted at 18 apiece when a Nelson kill gave Belmont the lead, which she followed with a 3-0 serving run to build the lead to four.
The Bruins found themselves with a match-point opportunity at 24-19, but Kopacz successfully challenged that a Sycamore attack error was touched by Belmont, making it 23-20.
Junior Lucy Kay responded with back-to-back kills to give her a season-best 10 kills and the Bruins a win.
Belmont now turns its attention to Saturday’s home match against the 4-11 Evansville University Aces to keep its unbeaten streak in conference play alive.
“Evansville, again, record-wise, is not going to turn any heads, but their play is a little bit different. They’re a good offensive caliber team,” said Rosenberg. “We worked a lot this week on defense, so being ready to play some defense tomorrow is going to be key.”
This article was written by Sam Dicus
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