Although the energy was high in Allen Arena Friday night, the volleyball team ran out of gas while battling rival Kennesaw State.
The atmosphere was alive with all of Greek life there, a live DJ from the Rio Olympics and a well-known color commentator, also from the Rio Olympics.
The Lady Bisons came out hot in the first match, gaining a quick 7-0 lead. They carried their momentum all the way to the end, where they defeated Kennesaw State 25-14.
“We have a budding rivalry with Kennesaw. We knocked them out of championship game last year, and they are continuing to push the envelope as far as our conference goes.” said Coach Brandon Rosenthal.
The second match, however, was a different story. Both teams were neck-and-neck as the lead kept changing, constantly. The Owls had the lead until senior transfer Taylor Racich took control of the net and slammed two balls down the middle of the court.
Unfortunately for Lipscomb, our defense had trouble keeping the lead due to their delayed reactions to the quick Kennesaw State offense.
Junior Lauren Anderson kept fighting and putting the Bisons back in the lead.
A major key from this match that hurt the Lady Bisons was the struggle to control their blocking on the net and to keep the ball in bounds. Lipscomb also gave away some easy points by serving the ball out of bounds.
Racich and freshman Carlyle Nusbaum came to play, slamming two balls off the block to put Lipscomb ahead 17-16.
Some miscommunication hurt the Lady Bisons and caused a few balls to drop right in the middle of the court while the whole team watched them hit the floor.
Libero and sophomore Brittany Thomas had control as she served the ball with Lipscomb up 21-18. After a lot of sloppy plays, missed blocks and many timeout calls, the Owls took the second match 28-26.
The Lady Bisons came out with a lot of energy to start match three. Senior lefty Taylor Racich continued to stay hot and slam balls down left and right. After a lot of long, hard-fought possessions, Lipscomb took the lead 5-2.
Kennesaw State’s offense looked a little sloppy, but they managed to stay in the game because of Lipscomb’s tired defense. Nusbaum came alive with a huge kill to keep Lipscomb’s momentum going 20-16.
Kennesaw caught up, but they still trailed behind Lipscomb 22-21. The Owls choked on a huge serve, and Lipscomb used the play to their advantage to take the win 25-23.
Kennesaw started off the fourth set with a hot hand. Lipscomb slowly gained ground from the help of Anderson, but it sadly wasn’t enough to shift the momentum.
Junior Katie Bradley had a huge kill that tied the game 18-18, but Lipscomb finally fell to Kennesaw 25-22.
Kennesaw kept the heat coming in the fifth and final set. Lipscomb chipped away at their lead, but it wasn’t quite enough to combat the aggressive Owl offense. Lipscomb lost the match 3-2.
The Bisons, however, still remain optimistic. The loss was still a helpful experience. “We were really excited to start conference play off at home, it was a good challenge for us.” Coach Brandon Rosenthal said.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics.