Bisons outlasts Golden Eagles in four-set home battle
Lipscomb Bisons volleyball team fended off a relentless Tennessee Tech squad on Tuesday night at Allen Arena, claiming a hard-fought 3-1 victory (25–20, 21–25, 25–16, 27–25).
Behind a balanced offensive attack and high-energy middle production, Lipscomb relied on composed execution down the stretch to secure the non-conference victory before diving into Atlantic Sun Conference play (ASUN).
“We continue to talk about focusing on one thing at a time,” said Sarah Baldwin, Lipscomb’s head coach. “Whether we’re up or down, we’re not gonna get 5 points all in one kill. So it’s kind of this slowly chipping away mentality to kind of get us back into a rhythm or stay on top of teams.”
Lipscomb set the tone early in the opening frame, building a quick 4–2 advantage following a serve from senior outside hitter Ella Durham. The Golden Eagles kept pace midway through the set, but key kills from senior middle blocker Brooklyn Fuchs and sophomore middle blocker Sydney Strenger, both set up by junior setter Kelsey Schenck, kept the Bisons in the driver’s seat at 18–14. Despite a late push by Tennessee Tech that pulled them within four at 24–20, Lipscomb sealed the first set 25–20 on a final attack error.
Tennessee Tech answered back aggressively in the second frame, racing out to a 4–0 lead highlighted by consecutive service aces from sophomore outside hitter Audrey Berkebile. Lipscomb called two early timeouts as the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 19–13. The Bisons mounted a late charge to shrink the deficit to 20–18 following back-to-back kills from freshman setter Makenna Kirlin and Fuchs, but Tennessee Tech held off the push to capture the set 25–21 and tie the match score 1–1.
Refusing to let the momentum slip, Lipscomb responded with a dominant showing in the third set. Holding an 11–7 lead early, the Bisons took complete control behind a high-pressure service rotation from Strenger, which included a service ace and forced attack errors during an 8–0 run. Schenck continuously found her options in transition, and Fuchs punctuated the set with a kill to secure the 25–16 win.
“I think we did a really good job taking care of the first contact to be able to find our middles in transition and service options to be able to have them be really, really successful,” Baldwin said. “I think probably Sydney Strenger or Brooklyn Fuchs did a really good job holding the team up when we needed them the most, or we just needed some sort of kill, and they found a way.”
The fourth set delivered a high-wire finish, featuring 12 ties and constant back-and-forth scoring. Lipscomb took an early 6–3 lead before Tennessee Tech rallied to knot the score at 11–11 and again at 14–14.
The teams traded punches into extra points down the stretch:
• 20–20: Fuchs buried a pass from defensive specialist Kenzie Kucks to tie the frame.
• 21–20: Fuchs struck again on an unassisted kill to give Lipscomb the advantage and force a Golden Eagles timeout.
• 23–23: After a successful challenge preserved a crucial point for Lipscomb, Tennessee Tech answered with a kill from freshman setter Morgan Petelin to tie the frame once more.
• 24–23: Tennessee Tech earned a set point off a solo block from sophomore middle blocker Jordyn Milhouse, but an unforced setting error by the Golden Eagles brought the score back to 24–24.
• 25–24: Strenger put the Bisons on match point with a kill off Schenck, but Tennessee Tech saved the point to knot the score at 25–25.
• 26–25 & Match: Strenger connected on another clutch kill to give Lipscomb its second match point, and a final attack error by Tech junior outside hitter Alayna Pierce finalized the 27–25 victory for the Bisons.
Schenck credited the team’s locker room reset following the second-set stumble for their late-game resilience.
“Our main focus was just having a lot of energy there at the end and just getting a good pass and finding my hitters,” Schenck said. “After the second set… we kind of were just like, ‘We gotta be us.’ Second set was not us at all. And so we just kind of had to come back out and play Lipscomb volleyball.”
Schenck also expressed appreciation for the home crowd at Allen Arena, which included visiting youth players from local schools.
“They’re awesome,” Schenck said. “We get to work a few camps in the summer for Nashville Christian, so it’s so good to see them come out and support and get to hang out with them. And we just love our fans. They are the best.”
The Bisons (6–3) now turn their attention to conference play as they travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on Bellarmine University on Saturday, Sept. 26.
“I think minimizing the runs from the other teams [is key],” Baldwin said. “Sometimes we drop into these bigger margins of losing points all at the same time. And so can we cut those leads or runs of points a little bit smaller increments or just stop them altogether.”
Featured Image taken by Harold Espinoza Lopez
