Lipscomb volleyball (6-2) beat Ole Miss (8-1) in straight sets and beat Northwestern (5-3) by a score of 3-1 to conclude the first day of play at the fifth annual Lipscomb Invitational on Friday, September 9 in Allen Arena.
The team came into the tournament with a 4-2 record after trips to the Pepperdine Asics Classic in Malibu, California, and the American Campus Classic in Austin, Texas.
They have not played a single five set match this season — a streak that continued after Friday’s games.
“Momentum is a huge thing in volleyball,” head coach Brandon Rosenthal noted. “I think more than anything it’s the belief system behind that momentum, and everything that goes through [the players’] heads.”
The Lady Bisons handed Ole Miss, an SEC foe, its first loss of the season in a match in which they won the first set 25-23, the second set 25-21 and the third set 25-15 in powerful fashion.
Coaches and players agreed that the energy was exactly where it needed to be for both the players and the fans.
Lipscomb outside hitter Carlyle Nesbaum led the match with 15 kills and also posted a .310 hitting percentage while outside hitter Lauren Anderson led the match with a .500 hitting percentage and junior defensive specialist libero Brittany Thomas contributed a match-high 13 digs.
As a team, the Lady Bisons had 42 assists to Ole Miss’ 24 and added 31 digs compared to Ole Miss’ 23 in the win.
As the team transitioned to the night game against the Northwestern Wildcats, Northwestern got out to an early lead due to multiple blocks and Lipscomb errors.
However, in a 6-10 hole, freshman middle blocker Maddie Phillips sent a big kill to the back line, sparking an 11-3 run.
As Northwestern slowly climbed back, the teams tied at 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 all. With multiple kills by sophomore outside hitter Carlyle Nusbaum and an ace by senior opposite side hitter Taylor Racich in those points, the Lady Bisons finally broke through with a block on their advantage point to win the set 32-30.
Coach Rosenthal said he had so many things going through his mind in each of the tight points in the first set.
“We were doing a great job at the net, and towards the end [Northwestern] wore down, and we played well in transition to close it out.”
As the second set began, the Lady Bisons fell behind early, playing a large portion of the set down around six points. Lipscomb got within four, but eventually lost the set 25-16.
Again in the third set, the Lady Wildcats got out to a lead; however, this time Lipscomb kept it close.
At 15-16, senior middle blocker Katie Bradley and sophomore outside hitter Anderson blocked a ball to win the point, and the Lady Bisons ignited to win five consecutive points.
After a 20-20 deuce, Lipscomb again scored five unanswered points to win the set 25-20.
It was Lipscomb who got out to an early lead in the fourth set; after several ties and lead changes late in the set, Phillips sent two consecutive kills to the back line that carried Lipscomb to an exciting 25-23 win and a 3-1 match win.
Nusbaum finished the game with a match-high 19 kills as well as 15 digs, becoming the first player this season to achieve a double-double. She has now recorded double-digit kills in all eight games so far this season. Also, Thomas lead her teammates with 16 digs and two service aces.
“I’m proud of the grit we’re playing with, and we have to go as hard as we can tomorrow too,” Rosenthal said after the game. “They work hard every day in practice, and I’m proud that they are competing well and are laying it all out there.”
The women’s volleyball team looks to close the tournament a perfect 3-0 against Virginia Tech on Saturday, September 10 at 2:30 p.m. in Allen Arena.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics