The Lipscomb Bisons volleyball team lost to the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles by a 3-0 sweep in a 2020 ASUN finals rematch Friday night.
The Bisons came into the match with a 16-12 total record against FGCU and a 3-7 record in the last 10. This match was the first in ASUN Conference play for both teams in one of three ASUN crossover events for each squad this weekend.
The first set started out back and forth with neither team gaining ground. With a service ace from freshman defensive specialist Libby Steinhart, Lipscomb pushed the score to 4-2. The Eagles set up a 3 point run to take a 4-5 lead over the Bisons. Lipscomb put up a spot a bit later in the set bringing the score 9-7, following that up with a 5-1 run pulling a 14-10 lead. From there, the Eagles were able to even up the score at 17-17. After various back and forth battles, the score ended up deadlocked at 23-23. With the fans on their feet and the game on the line, Lipscomb went down one but fought back to put the score at 25-25. The set ended 25-27 with the Eagles taking a 0-1 set lead.
The second set was started by a FGCU serve with a kill from sophomore middle blocker Meg Mersman giving Lipscomb the 1-0 lead. A long back and forth battle led the score to 7-7. A 5 point run aided by a service ace from sophomore setter Delaney Dilfer and a solo block by Meg Mersman gave the Bisons a 13-10 lead. A 3 point run by the Eagles led to a Lipscomb timeout after the score reached 15-14, still in the Bisons’ favor. After a 5 point run the Eagles extended their lead to 17-20 over the Bisons. Another 3 point run led to a set point situation for the Bisons with a 20-24 lead for the Eagles. The Bisons were able to put a three point run together and finish the set at 23-25, which meant that going into the third set, FGCU led 2-0.
In the third set, the Bisons got off to a hot start with a 8-4 lead through the first 12 points. After a number of two point runs by both teams Lipscomb still led in a close 15-12 game, but that wouldn’t last long, as the Eagles lined up a 4 point run to take the lead at 15-16. A Bisons point broke up the run and both teams responded with big 3 point runs locking the set up at 19-19. A 1-6 run by the Eagles wrote the end of the night for the Bisons as the third and final set ended 20-25.
When asked about becoming the second-fastest Lipscomb player to join the 1,000 assist club, Dilfer said, “The cool thing about being a setter and joining the 1,000 assist club is that it feels more like a team award than just one person’s award.”
Veteran head coach Brandon Rosenthal maintained a positive viewpoint on the match despite the result. “I thought the effort was great,” said Rosenthal. “The difference maker was the play down the stretch. When playing against an experienced team 1 or 2 points can make all the difference. It was not lack of effort but rising to the occasion.”
The Bisons continue their ASUN crossover weekend at 6 pm on Saturday against Jacksonville in Allen Arena. On Sunday, the Bisons square up against the Liberty Flames at 6 pm in Allen Arena to close out the ASUN crossover weekend.
Photo by CJ Arndt