Lipscomb volleyball wins conference match, eyes ASUN tournament

Lipscomb volleyball scored an important conference win on Sept. 26. The team swept the University of West Virginia, beating the Wolves in just three sets.

After trading a few back-and-forth points, Lipscomb remained in the lead for most of set one. The team settled into a rhythm, communicating on the court, and cheering and chanting from the bench. An ace by junior outside hitter Ella Durham helped the Bisons win the first set 25-17.

The second set was closer, with six lead changes between the Bisons and Wolves. West Virginia used multiple timeouts, but Lipscomb didn’t let it stop their momentum. Courtney Jones, the team’s senior outside hitter, led her team in kills and helped clinch the set, 25-20.

After set two, both teams got a short break. “Sometimes, when you go into a break, you reset. I thought we did a nice job really elevating from set two to extend the lead,” said head coach Brandon Rosenthal.

The Bisons won the first six points of set three, and remained in the lead until the final whistle. They led the Wolves in kills, blocks and aces. Lipscomb clinched the win after a kill by #3, Sydney Strenger.

Sunday’s win was the third in a row for Lipscomb volleyball, making their overall season record 10-10. They are 6-4 in conference, reflecting the Bison’s tough schedule.  

“It’s been an interesting season,” said Rosenthal. “Preconference was obviously really tough, with a lot of top-25 matches.” One of those matches was against Nebraska, who clinched a Big-10 championship title last season. 

“The biggest challenge is just focusing on today and not worrying about what we didn’t do a couple weeks ago. We just have to stay in this moment,” Rosenthal said. He said the team’s biggest focus is on making it to the tournament, which takes 8 teams. 

Junior outside hitter Ella Durham, who was recognized as Sunday’s player of the game, thinks the team has the potential to keep winning. “I think we have a special group of girls, and I think if we all keep on the path we’re going, and we keep working hard, we can make it far,” said Durham.

The Bisons have 6 more games until the ASUN championship tournament. Their next match is at Eastern Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 31.

Feature photo taken by Madelyn Paul.