Volleyball's Season Ends in MVC Tournament

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Belmont’s volleyball team was eliminated in the first round of the single-elimination Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, falling 3-2 to the Drake University Bulldogs. 

The Bruins' season may have ended, but Fritz Rosenberg’s first year as head coach was one of the most successful runs in recent memory for Belmont. 

At 17-11 on the year and 8-8 in conference play, the Bruins had their first winning record at home since 2021, their first .500 or better record in conference play since 2017 and their first winning record since 2016. 

Additionally, their 17 wins were the most since 2015, and their nine-match win streak earlier this season was their longest since 2013. 

In the match against Drake, Belmont struggled to find its footing early. In the first set, Drake had three separate runs of four consecutive points or more and outscored Belmont 14-0 across those runs.  

However, the second set would be a different story. After being tightly contested early, Belmont went on a 6-0 run to take an 11-6 advantage, which was led by three kills from junior Connie Kofoed.  

The Bruins and Bulldogs continued to trade blows until a 6-0 Drake run knotted the score at 16 apiece. 

The teams exchanged points until a 3-0 Belmont run gave the Bruins a 21-18 lead and a little bit of breathing room.  

From there, the Bruins closed out the second set behind a clutch showing from senior Brooke Gilleland, who had three kills across the Bruins' last five points of the set.  

The third began neck-and-neck, with the Bruins being the first to pull away after securing a 9-6 lead. After exchanging runs back and forth, Drake retook the lead at 15-14. 

Immediately responding, the Bruins launched a 4-0 run behind a strong showing from senior Lilly Lutz from the service line, where she secured two aces.  

A Kofoed attack error ended the run, but she made up for it with a kill on the ensuing point and another one later to bring Belmont’s lead to 21-17. 

Back-to-back attack errors from Drake put Belmont two points away from closing out the third set. 

Drake would not go down without a fight, as they cut the deficit to 23-20. Then, the Bruins were handed a gift in the form of a service error from senior Madison Geise to bring the score to 24-20. 

The Bruins had four chances to close out the third set, but Drake went on a 4-0 run, culminating in a service ace from senior Addison Beagle to Gilleland to draw the score at 24 apiece. 

Gilleland closed out the third set in dramatic fashion, with two consecutive kills to give the Bruins a 2-1 advantage over the Bulldogs. 

Belmont’s momentum was quelled by the break between the sets, and in the fourth set, Drake got its revenge. 

It began similarly to the previous two, but this time it was Drake who seized the momentum first and went on a run.  

Drake built its lead out to 10-6 before Belmont cut the deficit to one off a Gilleland kill.  

Gilleland scored the Bruins’ next two points as well, via an ace and a kill, but the Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 run to take an 18-12 advantage and a lead the Bruins could not surpass. 

The decisive fifth set got off to a disastrous start for the Bruins, as it began with a service error from freshman Jordan Czajkowski that eventually led to a 4-0 advantage for the Bulldogs.     

Gilleland responded with a personal 3-0 run, off two aces and one kill, to cut the deficit to one.  

The Bulldogs countered with two straight points, off a Gilleland service error and a kill from sophomore Bliss Beck, to take a 6-3 advantage.  

Both teams traded points back and forth until Drake held a 9-7 advantage, which is where things got interesting.  

Gilleland was called for an attack error that gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 advantage, but there was a lengthy review process to see if one of the Drake players tipped it with their finger.  

Bruins fans held their breath as the game hung in the balance of this potentially season-altering review.  

In the end, the call was upheld, and Belmont’s season was ended on a kill from freshman Caroline Smith to give Drake a 15-8 victory.  

Despite the loss, it was not all doom and gloom for the Bruins. 

Lutz and Gilleland, Belmont’s two seniors who have been contributors since their freshman year, went out on a high note.  

Lutz led all players with 24 digs, while adding three assists and two aces as well.  Meanwhile, Gilleland led all players in points with 24.5, kills with 21 and three aces. She was also second on the team with 13 digs and tied for second with one block. 

Additionally, Czajkowski had an impressive performance to end her freshman season with 46 assists, 12 digs and an ace.  

Across her final five matches this season, Czajkowski broke her previous career-high mark in assists four times with 37, 40, 46 and 47. 

The Bruins’ volleyball team will be back in action next season, but the MVC tournament will continue Saturday, with the University of Northern Iowa hosting Illinois State and Drake traveling to take on Valparaiso.

This article was written by Sam Dicus