Bisons stay hot with 3-0 sweep over Jacksonville
Lipscomb volleyball team keeps on rolling, sweeping Jacksonville University 3-0 in Swisher Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 6. The Bisons are now on a five-game winning streak and remain in first place in the ASUN. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games and claim a two game first place lead over the rest of the ASUN conference. With this being the Bisons 10th conference win of the regular season, Lipscomb have recorded double-digit wins in ASUN play for the ninth straight year and the 18th time in the last 19 seasons.
The Bisons got off to a quick start, opening the first set with kills from freshman outside hitter Madyson McCarthy, junior setter Kelsey Schenck and senior outside hitter Ella Durham for an early 3-0 lead. The Bisons then used Schenck’s serve to turn a 5-2 edge into a 9-2 advantage. The Dolphins scored the next four points to pull within 9-6, but the Bisons pushed back to lead 14-7 with help from a freshman libero Grace Jones service ace and sophomore middle blocker Sydney Strenger kill.
The lead reached 17-10 on sophomore right-side hitter Anna Claire Brown’s service ace. The Bisons moved ahead 21-13 after a Durham kill, a Strenger ace, and a Dolphins attack error. Jacksonville fought off two set points after Lipscomb reached a cushion, but Brown finished the set with a kill to secure a 25-17 Bisons win.
In the second set, Jacksonville jumped in front 6-3 behind early kills from graduate outside hitter Abbie Tuyo and junior middle blocker Haley Yount. Lipscomb answered with kills from Durham, Jones and McCarthy, with McCarthy’s consecutive kills putting the Bisons ahead 8-7.
The Dolphins pushed back to a 15-13 lead, but Brown had three kills during a four-point Bisons run that shifted the set to 17-15. Jacksonville scored the next two points to tie it at 17-17 before senior middle blocker Brooklyn Fuchs‘ kill and a Jones ace restored a 19-17 Lipscomb edge.
The Bisons stretched the lead to 22-18 on a McCarthy kill. The Bisons kept their foot on the gas late in the second set when the score moved to 24-19 on McCarthy’s service ace, and closed the set 25-21 on Durham’s kill from Schenck.
After the third set was tied at 5-5, Lipscomb moved ahead 12-7 behind three kills from Brown and alongside additional kills by Strenger and Schenck. Jacksonville cut the margin to 14-12, but a service error, a Durham’s ace and McCarthy’s kill pushed the visiting Bisons back in front 17-12 before Fuchs answered a Dolphins ace with a kill for an 18-14 lead.
The Bisons stretched the advantage to 22-16 following a Dolphins setting error and a Durham’s kill. And the Dolphins moved by closing within 23-21, Durham delivered a crucial kill for match point, and Brown finished off the 25-21 victory.
The Bisons got off to a slow start after committing seven errors on 38 swings for a .132 percentage in the first set. But Lipscomb bounced back and posted 34 kills and eight errors for a .366 attack percentage in the last two frames.
Brown totaled four kills in the third set and finished the match with 10, leading a balanced offense where seven different players recorded a kill. Strenger, McCarthy and Durham each had eight. Strenger reached double digit in total points with an ace and two assisted blocks. McCarthy led the back row with 13 digs, while Jones added 11. Schenck put together her 15th double-double of the season, with 34 assists and 10 digs.
Jacksonville drops to 4-7 in conference play and 10-15 overall. The Dolphins remain at home to host Bellarmine University tonight at 5 p.m. Lipscomb gained a two-game lead in first place in the ASUN with a 10-2 conference record. The Bisons trip in Jacksonville will conclude at North Florida, first serve is set for 5 p.m.
Featured Image courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics
Andreas Rizzi
Andreas Rizzi is a junior communication major from Chicago and Michigan. He brings a lifelong passion for sports and loves to call all sports while working as an analyst for ESPN+ on Lipscomb's campus. Andreas hopes to one day become an MLB broadcaster and become an analyst for the YES or MLB network.
