by Sydney Poe | Sep 3, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
One thing is clear about the Lady Bisons volleyball team: they won’t go down without a fight. The Lady Bisons lost their last match in the inaugural Lipscomb Invitational to Arkansas State in four close sets Saturday afternoon. In the first set, the Lady Bisons couldn’t seem to find their rhythm, losing 15-25, and then fell just short in the second, losing 24-26. During the third set, the Lady Bisons used the energy from their home crowd to win 25-16. “I think they feed off of the energy, so it’s good to be at home,” said Lady Bisons Coach Brandon Rosenthal. The Lady Bisons were able to get ahead a little in the fourth set but fell short 23-25, losing the match 2-1. “The girls have been working hard,” said Rosenthal. “We’ve come up short just a little, but I think it’ll help tremendously.” The Lady Bisons will take on Western Kentucky this Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in Allen...
by Sydney Poe | Sep 3, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
In what served as their home opener and the first Lipscomb Invitational, the Lady Bisons volleyball team won both matches against Tennessee Tech, bringing their winning streak at Allen Arena to twenty-nine. “This is the first time we’ve hosted the tourney, and it’s fun,” said Coach Brandon Rosenthal. “I’m hoping that these couple wins, especially at home, will help tremendously.” Earlier Friday, the Lady Bisons defeated Tennessee Tech in four sets. They easily won the first set 25-8, before losing the second set 19-25. They followed that up with two wins during their final matches, 27-25 and 25-10 respectively. The Lady Bisons opened their season on the road in Houston, dropping all three matches but not without coming away with good insight to what they have as a team. “I wanted to see if we had a fight in us, and we did,” Rosenthal said. “We’re a young team…and even though we took three losses, we fought hard.” The Lady Bisons swept Charlotte in Friday’s evening match, but it didn’t come without a fight. After winning the first two sets 25-19, the Lady Bisons had to work together as a team to fight off Charlotte’s rally in the third set. When Charlotte came back to set the score at 21-20, Coach Rosenthal called a timeout to bring the team’s focus together. “We wanted to get everybody on the same page and wanted to put a little pressure on them,” Coach Rosenthal recalled of the timeout. The Lady Bisons won the third set 25-23 on a controversial call to take the match. “In the end I don’t know if it...
by Ashlan Williams | Mar 4, 2011 | Sports
They’ve been training the last eight months for what will begin today, March 4. With two days of matches against Atlantic Sun foes, the weekend could set the tone for the season, for both the Bisons and Lady Bisons tennis teams. Lipscomb begins the six weeks of A-Sun conference competition by hosting Mercer University at noon Friday at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. For men’s and women’s head coach Andrew Harris, the most exciting part will be opening up conference play on Lipscomb’s home courts in the great outdoors. “I think the biggest thing for our program right now is being able to finally start playing outside on campus,” Harris said. “Since Jan. 10, we have been practicing inside every night and playing all of our non-conference matches indoors. “So to be able to get outside last week for practice and have our conference matches here this weekend will be a huge boost for us, just from a motivational standpoint.” Both the men’s and women’s teams will begin the toughest portion of their schedule Friday with matches against Mercer before facing A-Sun rival Kennesaw State on Saturday morning. So far this season, the Lady Bisons have posted a 1-5 non-conference record heading into Friday’s opener. Harris said the women’s enthusiasm will help them as they begin conference play. “Our ladies continue to show a lot of heart and courage by coming to practice each night and creating a standard of energy and excitement,” Harris said. “Everyone of our ladies knows that they have a tremendous opportunity this year to set the bar high for the next few years for our...
by Cooper Torrez | Mar 3, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
The Lady Bisons return to Draper Diamond on Friday for the first time since last season. They will face off against Butler to kick off the Lady Bison Classic. The Lady Bisons come in to the game after playing in the Georgia Tournament and the UAB Tournament. Compiling a 5-8 record in the two tournaments, the Lady Bisons look to get back on track. Whitney Kiihnl plans on using her leadership to help the Lady Bisons throughout the season and this weekend. “I hope the other girls see me as a leader, in that they see me more as a spiritual leader,” Kiinhl said. “God allowed me to be a part of the Lipscomb softball team for a reason, and so hopefully I am doing God’s will by being a good influence on my teammates.” “I just try to tell the younger girls to be confident and believe in themselves. I’ve learned that the mental game is a huge part of playing at the college level. Believing in yourself can go a long way.” As far as the Lady Bison Classic goes, Kiinhl says it’s simple and it will be good to play at home. “I like playing at home because it’s just a comforting feeling,” Kiinhl said. “We’re used to the training room, the locker room and the field. I enjoy seeing my friends and all our supporters at the games. “We just have to show up to play. Offensively and defensively, we have to be prepared and on our A-game.” Kiihnl’s goal for the season may be different than most teams or players, but she is sure...
by Cecelia Ramsey | Oct 4, 2010 | News Slider, Sports
For the first time, Lipscomb University proudly received the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic Trophy in 2010 with 185 of the 258 Bison student-athletes achieving All-Academic honors. Frank Bennett, now entering his thirty-first season as head coach of the Lady Bisons Basketball team, likes to believe that his players define the term student-athlete. “Some people think it’s one or the other—academics or athletics—but I believe they go hand in hand,” Bennett said. The Lady Bisons are an example of the success that Lipscomb sports teams are having on an individual and team level, competing in the classroom as well as on the court. This past season, the Lady Bisons ranked ninth in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a 3.452 average GPA. The retention rate is also impressive. Every student-athlete who completes their fourth year of eligibility graduates. It’s important to realize that academic success has not been limited to the basketball court. Lipscomb proudly had seven spring teams with at least 70 percent of the student-athletes achieving a 3.0 grade-point average or higher , earning the All-Academic trophy. To what does Lipscomb owe the successes of its sports teams? “It begins with recruiting good students,” Bennett said. “And we try to emphasize an attitude of excellence.” Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson likes to refer to the athletic department as the “front porch” of the University. “There are many people on campus excelling as students and achieving great things without any public recognition,” Hutcheson said. “Whether right or wrong, athletes are the ones receiving public attention.” Hutcheson went on to talk not only about academics,...
