by Delaney Gilbert | Jan 19, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb University sophomore volleyball player Brittany Thomas credits the support of her family and teammates as well as her strong sense of faith for her success on the court. Thomas was raised in a Catholic home, and Catholicism has continued to be a part of her life during her time at Lipscomb. Even with her busy schedule, she still makes time to go to services at Christ the King Catholic Church. Her faith has shaped her into the person she is today and she said her faith helps her continue to play the game that she loves well. From age 10, Thomas played for both the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) club team and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Now, Thomas serves as libero for the Lady Bisons, or as she would call it, “the defensive guru.” Throughout high school, she played club volleyball with current Lipscomb teammate, Khloe Rogers, who was being recruited by Lipscomb head coach, Brandon Rosenthal. Thomas considered committing to Belmont University; however, she waited to go through Nationals with her CYO team and was recruited there by Rosenthal as well. “I visited Lipscomb, and I just fell in love with it,” Thomas said. Although Lipscomb is not a Catholic university, Thomas said her faith continues to put a perspective on volleyball as it consumes her daily life. She attributes her strong sense of faith to her devout Catholic family who has supported her on her road to and at Lipscomb. From filming at club tournaments and high school matches to showing up to almost every Lipscomb home game, Thomas’ parents are her main support...
by Danielle Kinnen | Jan 17, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
After a weeks training on and off the court, Lipscomb men’s tennis team opened its spring season, losing the matchups against the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday afternoon at the Currey Tennis Center. The way the Bisons fought through the singles and doubles matches was exactly what coach Mario Hernandez said he was hoping for. “We went in to make the Commodores play and I think we did a great job — the boys tried to play their game but it came down to execution,” Hernandez said. The Bisons put up a fight from start to finish with heavy balls and smart play against the Commodores. “Vanderbilt is a very tough and well coached team, which showed tremendously in the doubles,” said John Tougher, senior and team captain. “We knew going into it that we were in a win or learn situation, and we had nothing to lose.” The overall score was 4-0. Sophomores Alejandro Manzanares, Thais Minet and Philippe Courteau lost their singles matches. Junior Rob Mitchell and sophomore Daniel Cardenas weren’t able to finish their singles matches. Three doubles teams played, finishing 6-2, 6-2 and 4-5. Despite the loss, Hernandez said he has high hopes for the team as they start thinking about their next game against Murray State. “Our ultimate goal is that we can use our strengths effectively and execute them in the right way,” Hernandez said. “Leading up to the Murray State match we have to put in some extra work on footwork and sharpen up our games as a whole, but I believe we are on the right path.” Lipscomb has a full roster carrying on from the fall semester,...
by Erin Turner | Jan 6, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
Story by Reese Lusk When she heard the snap of the ACL tear in her left knee, freshman Jenny Phelan knew it was bad. She’d been there before. “Thirteen games into last year’s season, my knee just snapped,” Phelan said, referring to the ACL tear in her left knee that ended her freshman campaign. This was devastating news to the defensive standout, but not something unfamiliar. “That injury was my second ACL tear of my career — the first happening back in high school.” Back in 2012, Phelan said she was a star at her high school in Chicago. Entering her junior year, she was looking to continue her successes of her freshman and sophomore seasons. She had already committed to Lipscomb University, and wanted to use her junior year to chase down a championship title. She suffered a right knee ACL tear, ending her season. But her commitment to Lipscomb didn’t change. “Lipscomb stood with me, and assured me that I was still wanted for the team,” Phelan said. Through difficult surgeries and hours of physical therapy, she battled back and eventually captured the Illinois Class 4A State Championship her senior year of high school. After graduation, she was on her way to Lipscomb. Flashing forward to her second ACL tear last year, Phelan mentioned a friend and mentor who walked with her through that dark time. “Jewell Dobson was awesome as a support,” Phelan said. Dobson, a red shirt senior with the program this year, also sustained a season ending injury in 2014. The two of them grew close during the challenges of medical rehabilitation. By leaning on each...
by Erin Turner | Dec 24, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Story by Courtney Craun Four years ago senior Kelli Smith was planning to give up basketball and head to an SEC university with intentions of joining a sorority and living a traditional student lifestyle. On Oct. 29, the 5-foot-5 guard played the last season-opener of her college basketball career at Lipscomb University. She’ll finish this season and basketball will be a part of a college experience full of growth and memorable experiences, she said. Smith never planned on being a college athlete. As a senior at Lipscomb Academy, she said she did not believe the college athlete lifestyle was for her. Then, when it was almost too late to do anything about it, she had a change of heart. “When my season ended my senior year of high school, I realized I wasn’t ready to let it go,” Smith said. Knowing it was too late for typical recruitment, Smith approached former Lipscomb basketball coach Frank Bennett, who told her there were no remaining spots on their roster. She also approached a coach at Belmont University, who told her she could only join the team after being a manager for a year. Smith said she had almost given up hope. “I remember telling my dad that I was tired of talking to coaches and being rejected,” Smith said. “I basically said that I was done trying, and if it was meant to happen then God would make it happen.” One month later, Smith received a call from the newly appointed head coach of the Lipscomb team, Greg Brown, who allowed her the opportunity to walk on the team her freshman year....
by Tanner Allen | Dec 13, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team lost 78-64 to Princeton Saturday evening in Allen Arena, and the game isn’t the only thing the Bisons lost. Just four minutes into the game, Lipscomb’s junior forward Josh Williams went down with a lower body injury. He did not return to the game, and is scheduled to have an MRI in the next few days. “You’re expectations to do things right never changes,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “No matter what is going on. Tonight we had to deal with the emotional stress of Josh’s injury, but that’s something we have to play through.” Williams came into the game leading the Bisons in points per game this season at 14 PPG. He was also selected to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun team before the season started. “Losing Josh was a real blow to our mentality and focus,” said Alexander. “It took us a bit to come out of the fog.” After losing Williams in the first half, Lipscomb’s offense struggled for the remainder of the night. “Our movement was very good offensively, but because of all the injuries we had guys playing extra minutes and fatigue caught up with us as the game went on,” Alexander said. The Bisons have been plagued by injuries all season. David Wishon broke his hand in the game against South Carolina and will be out for a few weeks. Brett Wishon hit his head hard in the second half and will be undergoing concussion tests. Junior guard J.C Hampton stepped up for the Bisons after Williams went down. He led the team with 25 points. Lipscomb will be on the road to...
by Tanner Allen | Dec 11, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb men’s basketball defeated Cumberland 83-53 in Allen Arena Thursday night. It was a game of runs for the Bisons as they went on a 16-0 run in the first half starting just five minutes into the game, bringing the Bisons lead to 27-16. Cumberland slowly started to chip away at the lead before Lipscomb went on another big run, outscoring Cumberland 12-0 in the span of two minutes. “We don’t want to live and die by the run, but it’s always nice when it goes in our favor,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “Our defense played great, and got four blocks, and that was a big part of us going on those runs.” During a timeout in the first half, a video package of John Pierce played. Pierce was a Lipscomb basketball legend who broke the record for most points in a collegiate career. He broke the record against Cumberland 22 years ago. The Bisons and Bulldogs have a deep history, as they played each other 52 times when Lipscomb was in the NAIA. The two teams last met 14 years ago when Lipscomb was making the transition to NCAA Division I. “It was great to play this team again,” junior guard J.C. Hampton said. “There’s a lot of history between our two programs and I was excited to get to add to that history today.” Lipscomb shot a season high 48.4 percent from behind the three point line, making 15 threes. “We shot great today from behind the arc, but we need to develop our game,” Alexander said. “We can’t just be a three point team because that’s not...
