by Erin Turner | Nov 19, 2015 | Sports
Story by Clarissa Young It took a leap of faith, literally, to get volleyball team setter Kayla Ostrom to turn her back on a Big 10 offer and come to Lipscomb. After playing softball and volleyball simultaneously from fourth-grade into her high school years, Ostrom decided to settle in on volleyball after she fell in love with the setter position. The Indiana native decided she wanted to continue her career in college and at first signed with Purdue University, one of the big schools in her home state. But that’s when she learned about Lipscomb University and the volleyball team’s need for a solid setter. “I was committed (to Purdue) up until halfway through my senior year when I decided to take a leap of faith,” Ostrom said. “So I recommitted and it turned out Lipscomb — their setter had left and needed to fill their position.” Kayla, a junior at studying food systems management said she plans to let her faith guide her after graduation, when she said she wants to work on an MBA in non-profit and ministry work. And she knows her decision to come to Lipscomb was the right one as she plans for her future. “God opened the door for me to come here and it couldn’t have been better,” she said. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
by Becca Risley | Nov 19, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
It was a long-established family motto that sealed the deal for senior volleyball player Brittnay Estes when she made the decision to commit her life to Christ. She was 18-years-old at the time on a two-week mission trip to Brazil with the Lipscomb volleyball team, ministering to a group of children in the Villas. Estes was rooming with the athletic department’s Women’s Spiritual Formation Leader, Shannon O’Brien, who led a conversation of faith with the girls each night before bed. “One night when we were talking, we professed ourselves to Jesus,” Estes said. “I just kept thinking ‘You’re right, Shannon. I want to change the way I’m living.’” A few days after this conversation, the girls passed by a waterfall tucked in the trees of a forest in the Villas. Both Estes and long-time friend and fellow volleyball player Molly Spitznagle ran into the water for their baptisms, performed by Garner Goode. “In my family, butterflies mean angels,” Estes said. “When you see a butterfly, it means an angel is there. I saw so many butterflies that day.” Estes met Spitznagel because of Lipscomb athletics and credits the department for bringing her several other close friends. The A-Sun Player of the Year said that being on the team for last four years has prepared her for life after college as well as in-game situations. “Volleyball is only going to be four years of your life and then you have to go into the real world,” Estes said. “[Coach Brandon] Rosenthal tries to prepare us for real-world situations — how to live our lives off the court, how to conduct...
by Charlie Bateman | Nov 18, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb men’s basketball team defeated Oakland City with a 96-69 win Tuesday night during their home opener in Allen Arena. In the first half, the Bisons scored 51 points against Oakland City. The men shot 54.1 percent from the floor overall and 50 percent from beyond the arch. Junior J.C. Hampton led the Bisons for the second straight game with 21 points. “He is playing with a lot of confidence,” head basketball coach Casey Alexander said. “He had a great trip on the west coast and he just carried it out today and really led us as a team against Oakland City.” Freshman Eli Pepper, the reigning A-Sun Newcomer of the Week, scored 12 points and was the second leading scorer for the Bisons. “He has been a significant contributor in all four games we have played,” Alexander said. “It is great to see out of the freshman. Sometimes it does not come that easily, but he has been really solid for us so far.” Oakland City was led by Jonathan Sulak who had 27 points. “He was the best player on the floor,” Alexander said. “We had a hard time guarding him.” Lipscomb is in a stretch that includes seven games in 10 days. This weekend the Bisons will take on three teams in the Men against Breast Cancer Classic in Oxford, Ohio. The other teams playing in the Classic besides Lipscomb are Miami (Ohio), Florida Atlantic and Northeastern. “This tournament is going to be a tough challenge and is very similar to what we played at Santa Clara,” Alexander said. “Three mid-major teams that are going to show...
by George Wong | Nov 14, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb women’s basketball team suffered a 57-52 loss in their first match of the season against Loyola Maryland Friday night in Allen Arena. The Lady Bisons headed into the match having won both exhibition games. Lipscomb defeated Freed Hardeman 63-0 and dominated Young Harris 100-61. Both teams started off slowly as they struggled to score in the early stages of the game. The Lady Bisons found their rhythm and kept a lead through the first half. The Lady Bisons led the Greyhounds 34-33 with senior Ashley Southern scoring 15 points and a school-record 20 rebounds. Junior Alex Banks also finished the first half with nine points. Southern, who finished with a double-double, proved to be an important factor in the Lady Bisons success during the preseason. Southern was voted in the preseason Atlantic Sun All-Conference team by the league’s head coaches. Last season she finished second in the A-Sun for scoring. Loyola raised the level in the third quarter with nationally ranked Colleen Marshall getting some play-time. Bri Betz-White had 14 points for the Greyhounds and five rebounds. In the final minutes of play, the Lady Bisons lost composure and started to miss a lot of shots. Loyola capitalized on this and found their rhythm, winning the tightly contested affair 57-52. “We did not perform very well offensively, and didn’t put ourselves in position to win,” head coach Greg Brown said. Marshall finished with 12 points, while fellow Greyhound Betz-White had 23 points. “We have to get a little bit better everyday and come out there with a quick turn around,” Brown said. “I have a tremendous amount of confidence...
by Brittnay Estes | Nov 10, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
Both Lipscomb soccer teams ended their seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament this weekend with a 5-0 loss to FGCU for the women and a 2-1 loss to North Florida for the men. The girls kept the score even until the 32nd minute of the match up when Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Tabby Tindell headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. The Eagles scored again before half leading 2-0. Florida Gulf Coast added more to the score board in the second half with goals from Paulina Speckmaier, Ally Kasun and Sarah Lowicki. Senior Alex Hickey, junior Niamh Rawlins and sophomore Jade Abarca were named to the A-Sun All-Tournament Team — the most members Lipscomb has ever placed on the All-Tournament Team. “I think it is very evident that this program has improved immensely,” Hickey said. The Lipscomb women’s soccer team was ranked 314th out of 331 NCAA teams when Hickey’s recruiting class came in. This year the Lady Bisons finished 95th in the NCAA RPI. “The teams work ethic and talent on the field has improved due to the players willingness to commit to the coaches ideal image for the team,” Hickey said. Lipscomb finished the season with a program-best 12 wins and the Lady Bisons’ first Atlantic Sun postseason win and Finals appearance. “We have tried very hard to put Lipscomb’s women’s soccer on the map and I am very proud of this team,” Hickey said. Florida Gulf Coast will be heading to the NCAA tournament and will find out their opponent and location on Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 p.m. The men’s soccer finals...
by Charlie Bateman | Nov 8, 2015 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team swept North Florida 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Allen Arena, clinching a share of the Atlantic Sun Volleyball regular season title. This win also secured a first round bye in the 2015 A-Sun Volleyball Championship which will be played at Lipscomb Nov. 19-21. Lipscomb volleyball head coach Brandon Rosenthal said the wins are meaningful at this point in the season. “Down the stretch every win is huge,” Rosenthal said. “Every win gives us a chance to control our own destiny. It also puts pressure on other teams in our conference.” Lipscomb took the first set 25-17. The win was due to a team effort in blocking. The Bisons took the second set 25-23 thanks to a clutch point by freshman Carly Nusbaum. Nusbaum led the Bisons with 11 kills. A huge key for the Bisons was blocks in the match. Lipscomb had 11 blocks compared to only eight by North Florida. Lipscomb took the third set 25-22. Lipscomb will play two games on the road against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson before the tournament. “We are going to have to keep adding pressure,” Rosenthal said. “These games matter because we want to carry momentum into the tournament. We do not want to let up.” Photo courtesy of Lipscomb...
