by Tanner Allen | Dec 3, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lady Bisons basketball team lost to the Belmont Bruins 90-68 in the annual Battle of the Boulevard Wednesday night in Allen Arena. “They got out to a great start,” head coach Greg Brown said. “I thought we held our composure and came back until they went on a great run in the third period.” The Lady Bisons were held scoreless as Belmont went on a 15-0 run during the third period. Lipscomb committed five turnovers during their scoring drought. “We missed too many shots that we normally make,” Brown said. “When they are shooting the way they shot today, it can be hard to keep up. We’ve got to hit the open shots and they just weren’t falling today.” Senior Ashley Southern led the Lady Bisons in scoring with 23 points and the defense was able to enforce 21 turnovers from the Bruins during the course of the game. “We had times where we played really good defensively, but we need to have that intensity more consistently,” Brown said. “I’m glad we get a few more games at home coming up and I think we will have a great environment in these games here at home.” The Lady Bisons will face off against Morehead State on Dec. 5 at 1:30 p.m. in Allen Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN3. 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 George Wong | Nov 21, 2015 | Sports
The Lipscomb women’s volleyball team defeated Jacksonville University in the semi-finals of the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships Friday evening in Allen Arena. The team will host the tournament this year and have dominated the conference all season with only one loss in conference play, earning them the number one seed in the tournament. Lipscomb dropped the first set 25-23 but came back to win set two 25-22, set three 25-15 and set four 25-21. “We knew we had to dial in a bit more and take away the errors from our side,” junior Kayla Ostrom said. “It was mostly errors that lost us the first set.” Right side senior Brittnay Estes, who won the A-Sun Played of the Year award, finished the match with 17 kills. Estes also ranks fourth in total kills for the season. Senior Molly Spitznagle ranked first in hitting percentage and blocks, while Ostrom ranked first in assists. Freshman Carlyle Nusbaum finished the season ranked second in kills-per-set. “There is a lot of pressure being the number one seed because we have lost the last three years,” Ostrom said. “But at the same time we need to do what we do best and stay confident.” The Lipscomb volleyball team will play for its fifth Atlantic Sun Championship title Saturday against either Kennesaw State or Florida Gulf Coast at 3 p.m. in Allen Arena. “We are prepared for this and have been training hard all season,” Nusbaum said. “We are all excited, but at the same time focused. We want to win this. This is our time and we are ready to take back the title.” Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Lana Sydenstricker | Nov 19, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
It is all about the team and loyalty for Katie Bradley. The junior volleyball player from Louisville, Kentucky learned a first-hand lesson about loyalty and commitment when Lipscomb volleyball coach Brandon Rosenthal retained interest in getting her on-court for the Lady Bisons–despite a torn ACL when she was in high school. Bradley started playing travel volleyball when she was 13 and quickly grew in her love for the sport. She continued to play at Sacred Heart Academy and made the varsity team her sophomore year. Rosenthal started recruiting Bradley during her sophomore and junior years of high school because of her playing skills. Even after suffering from a torn ACL during her junior year, Rosenthal said he still wanted her on his Division One college team. “It really hit home for me that he said nothing changes on our part,” Bradley said. “By then he had already offered me a full-ride scholarship to play. He said he still wanted me at Lipscomb, so a couple months later I committed here.” Despite multiple injuries, Bradley is a huge supporter of her teammates on and off the court. She said she is making the best of her minimal playing time and believes the team is having a great season. “The team is doing really great,” she said. “My playing time is very limited, but when I get in I just have to make the best of it. Whatever is best for the team is fine with me and as long as we keep winning, I will support my teammates.” Off the court, Bradley wants to be a teacher and is studying elementary education....
