by Gracie Simpson | Oct 8, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
Meg Mersman, a sophomore volleyball standout, dominated in her freshman season, starting in all 20 matches for Lipscomb during the year. Greenback, Tennessee-born Mersman finished first in the ASUN and on the team with 71 total blocks, while also having a total of 171 kills on the season, including her career best 14 against North Florida. Going forward with this season and the rest of her career, she said she wants to continue to grow and be that threat to other teams. “I don’t want to just do enough.” Mersman said. “I want to stand out like I did last year…I want other people to know my name in the conference and I want the other middles from other teams to be afraid to be matched up against me.” “The reputation I built last year as a freshman is so important as I mature in age, and also maturing in what I do on the court,” Mersman said. Head coach Brandon Rosenthal scored big when Meg committed to Lipscomb after decommitting from the University of Tennessee and turning down other schools much bigger than Lipscomb. “The thing that impressed me was just her ability to change a game from a presence standpoint,” Rosenthal said. “Meg comes in with a ton of swagger, which in a lot of places I think maybe would try to hamper that, and I think we don’t. We try to encourage that.” She’s already a leader on the floor, but she’s working on herself off the floor to try and be better for the team. “There’s so many people (on this team), myself included, that...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 8, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s soccer team took down ASUN West Division opponent Bellarmine Thursday night at Owsley Brown Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The Bisons produced a 2-0 result as they started division play on the road against a Knights program which is still transitioning to Division I after moving up from Division II last season. While it was a team effort that gave the away side their fourth ASUN Conference victory of the year, the opening goal from sophomore defensive midfielder Shelby Craft stole the show in the 12th minute. Hailing from Frisco, Texas, the Penn State transfer picked up a loose ball outside the box and launched it across the face of goal into the upper right corner. “Obviously, that moment is exciting for anyone who gets to experience it,” said Craft. “To get to celebrate it with everyone who put me in position to score that goal is the sweetest thing ever.” It was a deserved Lipscomb lead inside the first quarter-hour, as head coach Kevin O’Brien’s team played as characteristic of his pressing style as ever. That high-press mentality continued to cause Bellarmine problems for the rest of the half, as they would give up a second goal just past the 20-minute mark. This time, the quality of the assist was the masterstroke, as attacking midfielder Emanuela Schurch found the ball in space, picked out an aerial pass for Auburn transfer Cami Rogers, and watched Rogers dispatch the one-on-one opportunity past Bellarmine goalkeeper Bailee Witt. With the goal, Rogers grabbed her fifth of the year, a mark that leads the Bisons and complements her three assists...
by Shawna Mann | Oct 8, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
HumanDocs brings stories that stir up critical thinking and conviction to the Lipscomb community. The series dives into different topics through film screenings and panel sessions. This week on the Lipscomb campus has been “Welcome to Our World Week”, which is a celebration and educational experience highlighting numerous countries around the world that make up the student body. HumanDocs worked in collaboration with the LIGHT Program and the Office of Intercultural Development for being a part of WOW Week and showed the documentary “And Then They Come For Us”. The film goes in depth about the tragic lock-up of Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. Traci Teraoka, daughter of internment survivor Tom Akira, was the panelist interviewed by students Ghia Gutierrez and Tracie Santiago who are involved with the Asian Connection club at Lipscomb. In a Q&A session, Teraoka elaborated on questions revolving around her father’s internment, how it affected her and her family, experiences with racism, and struggles with identity. Teraoka says “It’s interesting how people can take different art forms and ways of portraying life visually and either inspire us or use it against us”. Hosted through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, HumanDocs brings awareness to different issues and gives individuals the opportunity to gain consciousness to them. Photo via Lipscomb.edu, By Dorothea...
by Lily Kate Corley | Oct 6, 2021 | Galleries, News Slider
Students gathered Friday night in Bison Square for Salsa en el Square, a lively celebration of salsa dancing during Hispanic Heritage Month. A student instructor taught the groups several basic techniques. After the lesson, students got to show off their new skills with different partners. “I really enjoyed that there was enough structure there to show us what we were doing so we didn’t have to just … figure it out ourselves. … [The instructor] gave us ample amount of time to practice what she had taught us,” said JoAnna McCutcheon, a sophomore nutrition major from Southside, Alabama. Sarah Small, an IDEAL student from Zionsville, Indiana, added that the best part of the night was “learning new things.” Events like Salsa en el Square provide the opportunity for students to appreciate diverse cultural traditions and meet new friends in the Herd. “Everyone was there to have fun, everyone was there to dance, so … I liked going around and seeing who else didn’t have a partner and being like, ‘Hey! Let’s dance!’” said Anna Adams, a junior English major from Rogersville. “I think that was kind of always in my personality … but I think that the experience here [at Lipscomb] has kind of opened me up and opened that side of me.” Salsa en el Square was hosted by the Student Activities Board and Office of Intercultural Development and served as a continuation of events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Photo Gallery by Cora Coletti Hayden Smith and Annie Duda...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 5, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s soccer goalkeeper CJ Graham is ranked 9th in the nation in save percentage after the NCAA Division I weekly statistics were updated Tuesday. The sophomore stopper boasts a .879 save rate, conceding only 7 times in 12 matches and collecting 51 total saves. Graham has also played the most overall minutes of the top 10 in save percentage, racking up 1,121 minutes this campaign. Bisons head coach Kevin O’Brien hardly seemed surprised about Graham’s accomplishments; the 10-year leader of Lipscomb’s women’s soccer program was quick to praise Graham’s work all season long. “It’s been a great debut season for CJ, no doubt!” said O’Brien. “We knew she had it in her since her arrival on campus, but to see her develop right in front of our eyes has been a coach’s joy.” “I believe that she’s improving with each and every performance and I’m confident that her best is yet to come.” Hailing from the Asheville suburb of Swannanoa, North Carolina, Graham has played every minute that the Bisons have been on the field after backing up 4-year starter Melissa Gray in goal last year. Graham boasts a wealth of experience outside of her current position; she played in the field as an attacker before being converted by her youth coaches into a goalkeeper. A graduate of Asheville STEM school Nesbitt Discovery Academy, a school with no soccer program, she played her high school soccer with the Owen High School Warlassies. At Owen, she played both goalkeeper and attacking midfielder for the varsity team. While only an 8th grader, she scored the match-winning goal in the NCISAA...
by Danny Kotula | Oct 3, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s soccer team took down the Kennesaw State Owls 3-0 Sunday afternoon at Lipscomb Soccer Complex. A consistent performance from the Bisons was a stark contrast from the inconsistent weather on the afternoon, as strong winds and rain plagued the players and supporters from the opening whistle. Per usual, Lipscomb’s attack created problems for its opponent from the start. True freshman midfielder Noa Ganthier registered the first shot of the match inside of 10 minutes, one of ten that the Bisons would go on to attempt in the first half alone. Ganthier, a native of Boca Raton, Florida, contributed 56 minutes for Lipscomb in a continuation of her impressive freshman campaign. Outside back Angela Steidl, a sophomore and transfer from Furman, picked up a head injury in the 12th minute that removed her from the rest of the contest. She was replaced by Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, defender Summer Ellmore, who put up a season-high 65 minutes against the Owls in Steidl’s stead. Despite Lipcomb’s possession advantage and high-pressing style, they were unable to find many clear-cut chances, and the first twenty minutes passed with few obvious opportunities for either side. One exception developed in the 26th minute, when Auburn transfer Cami Rogers fired a shot from the edge of the box that forced an outstretched save from KSU goalkeeper Dylan Pixton. The inclement weather reached its peak soon after, when lightning was spotted and a weather delay was instigated at the 27th minute. The delay that ensued lasted nearly two hours, as various lightning strikes continued to delay the restart further. Once the match did resume, though,...
