by Charlie Bateman | Dec 5, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb volleyball ended the season as they were swept 3-0 by No. 14-seed UCLA Friday night at the John Wooden Center. Lipscomb was defeated in three sets: 25-10, 25-22, and 25-15. “It was an off night for us,” Lipscomb coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “Unfortunately that off night concludes the season.” Freshman outside hitter Carly Nusbaum had her tournament debut, leading the Bisons with 11 kills. “I was definitely nervous at the beginning,” Nusbaum said. “I thought about it and I had 14 other girls who I know had my back and I had theirs.” Senior middle blocker Molly Spitznagle played her final game of the season with six kills and .250 hitting percentage. “It was very tough,” Spitznagle said. “It was not the way we wanted to go out. There are the ‘what ifs’ but we can’t let this take away from the season.” Rosenthal said he is proud of what they have accomplished this season. “We will take this and learn from it,” he said. “As I have told the girls, and we have been able to say this for quite a few years in a row, the future looks bright.” Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Charlie Bateman | Dec 2, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb’s Bisons suffered a loss to Belmont ‘s Bruins 105-89 on Monday night at the Curb Event Center during the season’s first Battle of the Boulevard. Lipscomb was able to put up a fight, but had trouble stopping the Bruins from three-point range as Belmont hit 16 total threes in the game. The Bisons hit eight threes in the first half, but still trailed 48-45 at halftime. The leading scorers in the first half for the Bisons were juniors J.C. Hampton and Josh Williams with 10 points respectively. Lipscomb had three players hit double figures in the game and Williams led with 20 points. “I thought a lot of our players, not just Josh, were really aggressive tonight,” head basketball coach Casey Alexander said. “I think it is a matter of Josh playing good basketball and taking advantage of his opportunities.” Lipscomb was able to force Belmont into foul trouble, and Belmont senior Craig Bradshaw fouled out. “I think that was kind of the luck of the draw,” Alexander said. “We were really aggressive driving it, and that is where we had our most success. Bradshaw just happened to be the culprit with the most fouls.” The next edition of the Battle of the Boulevard will be held Dec. 7 in Allen Arena. Lipscomb’s next game will be against Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. Saturday in Allen Arena. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Charlie Bateman | Nov 30, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
During the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU on Sunday night, Lipscomb volleyball coach Brandon Rosenthal’s wish came true. Rosenthal wanted his team to travel far from Middle Tennessee for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. In the crowded Hall of Fame room, the Bisons found out they will face No. 14-seeded UCLA Friday in the first round. “I said if you are going to send us somewhere let us travel far away,” Rosenthal said. “You can’t get much farther away than Los Angeles. This is an opportunity for Lipscomb to put its name on the map a little more.” UCLA is the first Pac-12 team that Lipscomb will face in the NCAA tournament. With this also being the first time Lipscomb has played in California in the tournament, Rosenthal said he believes early road trips to Utah will prepare them for the long distance travel. “It will be a different situation, but it will not be difficult because of our fans and the people that will take care of us in California,” Rosenthal said. “The knowledge of our fans and the variety of ages in the crowd has helped. Our success has grown the population of this sport, and I could not be more proud of our team.” Rosenthal said there will be goals they would like to accomplish but feels like having a relaxed team style will help on the long trip. “We want to stay focused, but we will try to have a little fun,” he said. “When we went to Texas A&M we visited an alpaca farm. I am not sure if there will be...
by Charlie Bateman | Nov 22, 2015 | Sports
Lipscomb volleyball defeated the Kennesaw State Owls 3-0 to cap off the season with the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship title Saturday afternoon in Allen Arena. Lipscomb captured its fifth title in program history with this win. Head volleyball coach Brandon Rosenthal talked about what made this win so meaningful. “We waited four years to capture this title,” Rosenthal said. “We went through a run where we were getting them every year. You work hard to make moments like this possible. To be able to exhale from the pressure is awesome.” Lipscomb took the first set 25-21. The first set was back and forth and included seven tie scores until Lipscomb pulled away late. The Bisons took the second set 25-16. Kennesaw State had eight errors in the second set, which contributed to Lipscomb’s success. Lipscomb took the last set 25-14. Kennesaw fought hard, but they had too much to overcome in this set. Kennesaw was the only team that defeated Lipscomb in the regular season. Rosenthal said the team worked up to a different result in this matchup. “We were able to finish sets,” he said. “We were more dialed into the match.” This win makes two years in a row that Lipscomb won the Atlantic Sun Tournament and clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament. “I think this speaks to our expectations,” Rosenthal said. “People, when they commit to this program, know that this is something we expect every year. The hard part about doing this every year is doing the work that is required to meet these goals.” Lipscomb will wait for the NCAA selection show to...
by Charlie Bateman | Nov 18, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team defeated Oakland City with a 96-69 win Tuesday night during their home opener in Allen Arena. In the first half, the Bisons scored 51 points against Oakland City. The men shot 54.1 percent from the floor overall and 50 percent from beyond the arch. Junior J.C. Hampton led the Bisons for the second straight game with 21 points. “He is playing with a lot of confidence,” head basketball coach Casey Alexander said. “He had a great trip on the west coast and he just carried it out today and really led us as a team against Oakland City.” Freshman Eli Pepper, the reigning A-Sun Newcomer of the Week, scored 12 points and was the second leading scorer for the Bisons. “He has been a significant contributor in all four games we have played,” Alexander said. “It is great to see out of the freshman. Sometimes it does not come that easily, but he has been really solid for us so far.” Oakland City was led by Jonathan Sulak who had 27 points. “He was the best player on the floor,” Alexander said. “We had a hard time guarding him.” Lipscomb is in a stretch that includes seven games in 10 days. This weekend the Bisons will take on three teams in the Men against Breast Cancer Classic in Oxford, Ohio. The other teams playing in the Classic besides Lipscomb are Miami (Ohio), Florida Atlantic and Northeastern. “This tournament is going to be a tough challenge and is very similar to what we played at Santa Clara,” Alexander said. “Three mid-major teams that are going to show...
