Women’s basketball struggles to catch up with Colonels

Women’s basketball struggles to catch up with Colonels

NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb women’s basketball team fell to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 82-69 Saturday afternoon at Allen Arena after giving up a large first-quarter lead. Scoring characterized the first quarter, as both teams shot over 50% from field goal range in the opening frame.  Freshman forward Bella Vinson and sophomore guard Blythe Pearson scored back-to-back three pointers, followed by freshman Jordan Peete taking a charge on the defensive end.   EKU fought back quickly, though. After a Bisons turnover, guard Ariel Kirkwood from EKU scored as the quarter ended to tie the game at 21-21. In the second quarter, Knoxville-native Casey Collier would make a tough floater shot to cut the lead to one point.  However, the Colonels scored 27 points across the quarter while Lipscomb’s shooting percentage dropped.   “I think the thing that really started to snowball for us was giving up second chance points,” assistant coach Chris Sumski said. “I think their length affected us a little bit.” Maddie Cook, a redshirt junior from Belmont, disrupted what would have been a wide-open EKU layup after a turnover by putting up a strong block. Despite Cook’s defensive play and Pearson’s 13 points, though, the Bisons trailed 48-33 at half. Midway through the third quarter, the Bisons cut the lead to 56-45 thanks to sophomore Jalyn Holcomb’s back-to-back shots from behind the arc. Peete also replicated Holcomb’s performance with a pair of consecutive threes of her own.   The margin was stretched to a game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter when Italy native Alice Recanti scored in the paint for EKU. The Bisons were not able to create a spark on...
Women’s tennis wins close contest over Murray State

Women’s tennis wins close contest over Murray State

NASHVILLE – The Lipscomb women’s tennis team bumped up their record to 2-2 after sneaking out with a 4-3 victory against Murray State at the Ensworth High School Tennis Center.  The Bisons fell at the start after losing in the doubles round competition, but that did not stop their momentum heading into the singles round.   Last week’s ASUN Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, Sasha Dobranos, dominated in her singles match, allowing her opponent to only win two games across two sets. Chattanooga native Maddox Brandy was the next Bison to win after surviving a tiebreaker in the first set. With the score tied at 2-2, seniors Eleanor Chapman and Kate Popova found themselves in competitive sets with the match on the line.  Down 3-2 in the second set, Chapman looked to find momentum. When asked what was said to Chapman to turn the set around, head coach Jamie Aid indicated it was a mentality more than a strategy. “[I told her to] just have fun and play your game…if we’re gonna win or lose, let’s win or lose by playing our [style of] tennis,” Aid said. Chapman went from trailing a game in the second set to winning her match in a tiebreaker of 7-3. With a chance to win the matchup against the Racers, Popova forced a third set after losing 7-5 in the first.  Popova exhibited great resilience as a back-and-forth set resulted in a 7-5 third set win for Popova, and the match win for the Bisons as a team.   “Kate played phenomenal tonight…she’s been a three time all-conference [player] and freshman of the year.  [She’s...
Black Student Union’s inaugural Black Hair Expo shows live demonstrations

Black Student Union’s inaugural Black Hair Expo shows live demonstrations

The Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a hair show in honor of Black History Month.  The officers of the club put together an event featuring celebrity barber Shawna Harrison to educate students on the history of Black hair and its different styles.  Dorie Harrison, a senior marketing major from Nashville and BSU president, said the timing of the event was intentional since this year’s theme for Black History Month is Health and Wellness. “We wanted to have an event that celebrates all Black hair,” Dorie Harrison said. “Natural. Extensions. Wigs. Braids. All those things. “You know, because there are certain ways we protect our hair and certain ways we care for it that are different, and I think those ways should be highlighted and encouraged. Because everyone deserves to feel beautiful.” The event, which was held in Zebbies Lounge, was an opportunity for students to build community and show off their most confident hairstyles.  Daniel Harvey, a sophomore computer engineering major, was one of the students to take to the stage for the demonstration. He said that he usually is indecisive when it comes to choosing cuts at a barbershop, but Harrison took time to educate him about different styles.  “I usually just say cut it low, or high, or whatever,” Harvey said. “She (Harrison) went through the process with me. Telling me the professional terms for what I wanted beforehand. I feel like now I know exactly what I want if I were to walk into a barbershop.” Shawna Harrison also shared with the students some of her personal story and how she ventured into the world of...
Women’s tennis takes aim at ASUN title

Women’s tennis takes aim at ASUN title

Lipscomb women’s tennis head coach Jamie Aid will be the first to mention the fact that Lipscomb has unfinished business to deal with this season. “Two years ago, we should have won [the ASUN Conference championship,” Aid said, “and we’re always building towards that. We’ve been in that position for the last eight years.” After three straight ASUN Tournament appearances but no conference titles to show for them, Aid is ready to change that narrative with a lineup made up of exuberance and experience alike. Two years removed from one of the more senior lineups Lipscomb has seen under Aid, including a top-30 ranked player in the nation in Vika Dzyuba, the squad has three underclassmen in the rotation this year. After eight years of watching young women come through her program, though, Aid isn’t concerned about their maturity. “We don’t really deal with some of the immature things that [other sports’] freshman do; they’re often more worldly than even I am.” Tennis is frequently one of the more international sports on campus, and this season, the Bisons boast seven internationally-born players on a roster of nine. “It’s neat to hear their stories, and they’re more similar than you’d think. The tennis world is pretty small; everybody seems to know everybody else.” For the Lipscomb tennis program, much of the success they find on the court is a secondary byproduct of a larger mentality of long-term development. “Finding players isn’t necessarily the problem,” Aid said. “Finding players that want to invest in Lipscomb that are going to take the most from the scholarship academically and put it into practice,...
Lipscomb Theatre Department presents ‘When She Had Wings’

Lipscomb Theatre Department presents ‘When She Had Wings’

“When She Had Wings,” staged by the Department of Theatre Feb. 4-13, follows a 9-year-old named B, who believes that when she was younger she could fly, and she spends the story trying to remember. The play by Susan Zeder is specifically written for a younger audience, and parents are encouraged to bring their children.  Bakari King is an adjunct professor and College of Entertainment and the Arts board member who directs this production, his first at Lipscomb. King first began his involvement in the theatre department as an ensemble member in the school’s 2013 production of “Ragtime.”  King said he was steered toward Lipscomb. “I was teaching around Nashville and I had a connection with a great friend who said you need to be at Lipscomb,” King said He said he was drawn to this play, because he believes this story helps connect children and adults with their inner playfulness. He goes on to say that people should have things in this world that help them create and pretend and that he hopes this show inspires that in people. Caylin Maguire, a junior acting major from Nashville, is in the title role of the play being staged at Shamblin. She said one of her favorite things about this show is being able to invite a younger audience to a live theater experience, noting that it was her own theater experience as a child that inspired her to become a performer.  “The story is about finding yourself and overcoming hurdles. Especially nowadays, I think that’s a really important message to people of all ages.” While the production teams are...
Softball sets sights on winning spring season

Softball sets sights on winning spring season

With the fall season well behind them, the Lipscomb softball team looks forward to regular season play in 2022.  The team is once again led by head coach Kristin Ryman in her 17th season with the team, who graduated in 2004 from Lipscomb with 122 wins and a career batting average of .300 during her playing years.  Assistant coach Laura Dukes joins Ryman in her 3rd season with the Bisons and her 7th year of coaching experience. Adding to the experienced Bisons bullpen, Ken Hunt, who sports National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s highest classification as a Four Star Master Coach, adds 30 years of fastpitch experience. The season starts out with a string of away tournaments, two in South Carolina and one in Youngsville, Louisiana. The first home action of 2022 comes on March 2nd against the University of Northern Iowa, who went 32-20 last season. The Bisons will then host a pair of tournaments at Draper Diamond, starting with the Purple/Gold Challenge on March 4-6.  This year’s Bisons squad has fourteen juniors and seniors. One upperclassmen to watch is fielding utility senior Amy Vetula from Canton, Georgia. Vetula posted a .333 batting average and a .920 fielding percentage last year. Behind the plate, redshirt junior Kamrie Rich has a solid glove behind the plate with a .977 fielding percentage on 176 chances. In the box, Rich is one to fear with a .416 slugging percentage last year. The Bisons have a solid setup for the future of the team with eight freshman and sophomore players. Backing up Rich behind the plate is catcher and infielder Avery Cox from Puryear,...