by Carly Reams | Sep 19, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb volleyball team kicked its ASUN slate Tuesday against North Alabama, which recently joined the conference. The Lady Bisons (6-7) ended the night with a 3-0 victory over the Lions (2-8) at Allen Arena. It was North Alabama’s fifth-consecutive loss. Lipscomb also came into the opener with a three-match losing streak of their own. Despite their unfamiliarity with the Lions, the Lady Bisons quickly handled their new opponent. “They are new to the conference so we weren’t sure what to expect,” Lipscomb junior Morgan Elmore said. “But we just came out excited to start the conference season, so I think we started focused and aggressive.” Elmore started at setter for the Bisons and ended the game with 44 assists. Morgan said the team goes into each conference game wanting to make a statement, but that took on extra meaning against North Alabama. “We knew they would be out to prove something since they are new to the conference, and we have built a reputation that makes people want to beat us,” Elmore said. “It’s always good to start the conference on a win, so that made it great for us moving forward to build momentum.” The Lady Bisons breezed through the first set and beat North Alabama 25-11. After the Bisons set a fast pace in the first set, UNA came out ready to bring that same aggression in the next set. Lipscomb seemed to lose their focus as the Lions tried to tie the score. “When playing a slower paced team we have to keep playing our game on our side, which is hard to do,” Lipscomb...
by Russell Vannozzi | Sep 17, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s soccer coach Kevin O’Brien typically schedules several Power 5 opponents to help the Lady Bisons prepare for ASUN play. However, sometimes his team plays the spoiler role against unsuspecting opponents. Such was the case Sunday night as the Lady Bisons topped Kentucky by a score of 2-1 at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. “For us, any time we get to play a Power 5, it’s a special thing,” O’Brien said. “We don’t win all of them, that’s for darn sure. But whenever we get a Power 5 win, that’s pretty special.” The win is Lipscomb’s first over an SEC opponent since beating Mississippi State on August 26, 2016. Lipscomb went 0-3-1 against SEC teams in 2017, including a 2-1 loss at Kentucky last September. “We’ve got a squad that doesn’t fear anybody,” O’Brien said. “[Bigger schools] might have more blue-chip recruits or athleticism, but in the end, a lot of it is about heart, determination and a willingness to work for each other.” The Lady Bisons got on the board just eight minutes into the game when defender Hailey Eck looped a pass to Maycie McKay, who sidestepped Kentucky goalkeeper Hannah Leonard and finished an easy chip shot. “We’ve switched [McKay] from being a winger to more out an out-and-out forward, and she’s doing great,” O’Brien said. “She’s composed around the goal and finishes her chances.” Kentucky (4-6) knotted the score at one with a goal from Miranda Jimenez in the 40th minute. The Wildcats thoroughly dominated the first half and outshot Lipscomb 11-2. But the Lady Bisons (5-3-2) kept the Wildcats from scoring again, thanks to six saves from...
by Spencer Boehme | Sep 16, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb soccer team came into Saturday night’s home game looking to put an end to a losing streak that had spanned three games. Instead, the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers (3-4) scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Bisons (1-4) by a score of 3-1. In the 19th minute, sophomore forward Ihaia Delaney knocked the ball into the right side of the goal without any contest from the goalkeeper to put Lipscomb up 1-0. Redshirt sophomore midfielder/forward Javier Leija was credited with the assist. Later on, in the 33rd minute, redshirt senior forward/midfielder Cameron Woodfin put ETSU on the scoreboard with a penalty kick that travelled thirty yards. The score remained 1-1 at halftime. Both teams each had three saves at that point. The Bucs carried the momentum from their first goal into the second half. They put Lipscomb’s redshirt senior goalkeeper Chris Zappia to work in the first ten minutes, where he registered three saves, two of which happened within just a few seconds of each other. After that, in the 56th minute, sophomore forward Danny Barlow extended ETSU’s lead to 2-1. In the 77th minute, junior forward Bruno Andrade knocked the ball in, giving the Bucs a 3-1 lead. Zappia was on the ground at that point and could not defend against Andrade’s effort. Overall, ETSU out-shot Lipscomb 14-11, including 9-6 on-goal. The Bisons had six saves compared to the Bucs’ five. The Bucs committed 12 fouls compared to Lipscomb’s 10. The Bisons will stay at home and host Kentucky on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Lipscomb head coach Charles Morrow declined a media interview after the...
by Maria Morales | Sep 12, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
Tonight’s Battle of the Boulevard was filled with spikes by the Lipscomb volleyball team as the Bisons swept Belmont in three sets at Allen Arena. The three sets ended 25-11, 25-17 and 25-10. “They came out and played hard,” Sean Johnson, strength and conditioning coach, said. “The girls were focused, they came out and played well. It’s good just to see them develop as players; their hard work pays off.” Outside hitter Carlyle Nusbaum and middle blocker Ca’Layci Coffey, both seniors, each made three kills in a row. “Our team has amazing chemistry. We make sure that we play for each other and for the coaches and do our job,” Nusbaum said. “We have a lot of experience and a lot of chemistry,” Nusbaum said. “We’ve been through all for the last three and a half years.” The Bisons will travel to Champaign, Ill. this weekend for the three-game Illini Classic, hosted by the University of Illinois. Friday features a doubleheader against Northern Illinois and Creighton, then Lipscomb will take on the hosts...
by Russell Vannozzi | Sep 10, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
It took dealing with a slippery pitch, firing 18 shots and battling through an overtime period, but the Lipscomb women’s soccer team refused to be denied a home win Sunday afternoon. Forward Olivia Doak fed a pass to teammate Maycie McKay, who slid the ball past Miami Ohio goalie Patricia Koutoulas to give the Lady Bisons a 3-2 overtime victory. “(McKay) made that run seven or eight teams and didn’t get rewarded with the ball,” Lipscomb coach Kevin O’Brien said. “Sometimes you can get discouraged and quit (trying) it, so I was grateful and proud that she kept chipping away.” The shot was McKay’s only attempt of the day, but it was all she needed to score her first goal of the season at the most opportune time. “We had a lot of people in the box at the end,” McKay said. “We almost got one early on (in overtime), and that just drove us to keep going and keep pushing.” Miami (2-3-1) took the initial lead on tally from freshman Lyda Bogadanovtich in the 40th minute, but Lipscomb’s Selah Gilmore answered with a goal of her own just three minutes later. In the second half, Lipscomb defender Logan McFadden finished a header from Doak to give the Bisons a 2-1 lead. The goal was McFadden’s second of her freshman campaign. “We knew recruiting her that she had the ability to step in and play right away,” O’Brien said of McFadden. “She can still grow in her technical ability and her decisions on the ball, but…the fact that she’s contributing on the offensive side is gravy.” But Miami made things...
by Carly Reams | Sep 9, 2018 | News Slider, Sports
An athlete like Micah Bledsoe doesn’t stop until he has gotten to where he wants to go. Once a Lipscomb goalkeeper, Bledsoe is now playing professional soccer for Nashville SC of the United Soccer League. The Ohio native never saw himself as having pro potential in high school, but after a stellar college career, he decided to take the sport as far as he could. “There was never a time when I wanted to quit,” Bledsoe said. “There were times when I didn’t know if (going pro) was going to be possible when I was done with college. I had to go to a couple of tryouts, but I knew that I wanted to pursue it as far as I could.” Bledsoe followed his family’s footsteps by walking onto a Division 1 soccer field in 2013. His two older sisters – Aubrey (Wake Forest) and Amber (Brown University) – both played goalkeeper in college. Paul Bledsoe, the father of the three goalies, taught them the sport at a young age, and the training paid off. Micah’s career at Lipscomb was filled with accomplishments. By the end of his freshman year, Micah was selected to Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team. That year he also finished second in the A-Sun and 42nd in the nation with 79 saves. Micah continued to improve throughout his four-year Lipscomb stint and finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in career wins, shutouts and save percentage. That was enough to earn help him land a contract with Louisville City FC in March 2017. At Louisville, Micah said that he saw the culture and mentality that it...
