Lipscomb improves to 7-1 in ASUN play with sweep over UNA

Lipscomb improves to 7-1 in ASUN play with sweep over UNA

Four straight sweeps, a combined score of 22-4 in set victories against ASUN opponents and a stacked roster with talented players across all academic classifications. That’s the story this season for the Lady Bisons, highlighted by a 3-0 blanketing over North Alabama in Allen Arena on Wednesday night. Lipscomb is now 10-2 on the season and 7-1 in conference play, while UNA drops to 1-8 (1-7 ASUN). Senior Megan Kuper led the way for the Bisons with 14 kills in Allen Arena, while four Lions tied at the team lead with four. Lipscomb set the tone early with a 4-0 lead in the first set and was aided by runs of 7-0, 4-0 and 5-0 to take the first installment 25-10. It seemed like UNA was unable to put up a fight, but the Lions caused trouble for the Bisons in the second set, taking an 8-4 lead off a bad set from Lipscomb freshman Delaney Smith. A 5-0 run from Lipscomb gave the Bisons the lead before both teams settled on trading leads. While ahead 14-13, Lipscomb ran away with a 6-0 run, capped by a Kuper kill. Lipscomb won the second set 25-17. UNA led the final set 8-2 before Lipscomb coach Brandon Rosenthal called a timeout. Lipscomb broke away with a 12-0 run after that and ended up outscoring the Lions 23-5 after the early deficit, winning the final segment 25-13. Lipscomb hosts Kennesaw State on Friday, March 12 at 6 p.m. CT in Allen Arena. Photo by Lipscomb...
Lady Bisons volleyball returns to Allen Arena with 3-1 victory over MTSU

Lady Bisons volleyball returns to Allen Arena with 3-1 victory over MTSU

It’s been 441 days and one full calendar year since the last Lipscomb Volleyball game in Allen Arena, but Sunday afternoon, the Lady Bisons were finally able to return to Don Meyer court and kick off their home campaign with a 3-1 victory over the MTSU Blue Raiders. After COVID-19 delayed fall NCAA sports and all of the LUV team spent 28 days in quarantine, conducting team meetings and workouts via zoom in their isolated rooms, Lipscomb’s volleyball season seemed in jeopardy. But, head coach Brandon Rosenthal and his team persevered and are now getting to reap the rewards of their hard work and patience over this extended off-season. Although COVID-19 caused a number of problems for Lipscomb, the hardships brought this team together, producing the tightest knit group that the team has seen in a while. This team chemistry allowed the Lady Bisons to win in dominating fashion this weekend. Sunday’s matchup was part of a doubleheader that began on Friday afternoon in Murfreesboro, where the Bisons walked away with a 3-0 win.  Sunday the Lady Bisons also got off to a quick start winning the first set 25-8, but it was the Blue Raiders who came out strong in the second set and evened the match at 1-1, capitalizing on a number of attack errors from the Bisons. In sets three and four, Lipscomb’s Kuper and senior middle blocker Samantha Rubal, who each netted 16 kills on the afternoon, proved to be too much for the Blue Raiders, who weren’t able to keep their momentum from the second set. Other key contributors for the Lady Bisons were...
Volleyball team relies on resilience after COVID pushes ASUN fall sports to spring

Volleyball team relies on resilience after COVID pushes ASUN fall sports to spring

Lipscomb volleyball head coach Brandon Rosenthal was being hopeful that a season on the brink of COVID extinction would be rescued when he was interviewed recently. Now that the season has been postponed —  the ASUN on Friday announced it was halting all fall sports because of the COVID epidemic and hoping to reschedule them for the spring — his and his players’ hopes have been dashed.  Or at least delayed. In the interview prior to Friday’s news, Rosenthal said being “resilient” is a key factor for the team because the pandemic already had thrown the games and even practice into an uproar. At the time, possibilities being tossed around included playing only in-conference or moving the season into the spring. In making Friday’s announcement, ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart, called it “a huge disappointment.” “Anyone who follows college sports understands the dynamics that brought us to this decision, but that doesn’t mean we like it. My feelings right now? COVID stinks. If you weren’t putting my words into a public release, I might put it another way.” The postponement of competition in conference-sponsored fall semester sports includes men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. So far, the basketball seasons for men and women remain unaffected, at least in terms of scheduling games. Scheduling will be a big issue for the fall sports, though, now that they have to wait until spring, if the disease allows for play then. “We will make every effort to provide a quality competitive experience for our fall student-athletes during the spring semester,” Gumbart said in the conference press release. “We’re...
Chloe Rogers takes her talents from the volleyball court to the softball diamond

Chloe Rogers takes her talents from the volleyball court to the softball diamond

Whether she’s pitching from the softball mound or spiking the ball on the volleyball court, Lipscomb’s Chloe Rogers feels right at home as part of a team. “Just relax, play the game, you’ve played it your whole life, just have fun with it,” Rogers told herself as she joined the Lipscomb softball team last spring after finishing her senior season playing for the Lipscomb volleyball team. Rogers came to Lipscomb from Overland Park, Kansas, where she played volleyball and softball for Blue Valley High School as well as travel club teams. Her love for each sport started early thanks to both her parents, Jennifer and Richard Rogers, who also played college sports. Her mother played volleyball, and her father played baseball. When college came around, however, Chloe had to choose one or the other. “I was super undecided going into the college recruiting process. I loved both the same,” Rogers said. “So recruiting came around, and I was getting more interest for volleyball; and I think that kind of helped with the recruiting process because it seemed more appealing when people were after you.” Volleyball won in the end, and she became a Bison under head coach Brandon Rosenthal. At the time, she thought that would be the last time she would play competitive softball, and she knew she would miss it. “I made the right decision,” Rogers said. “I love volleyball, and if I had to do it again, I’d do it the exact same way; but it is kind of like leaving a little part of you behind.” Chloe would get her chance to play again after...
Lipscomb volleyball makes quick work of Jacksonville

Lipscomb volleyball makes quick work of Jacksonville

In an ASUN volleyball match featuring the surging Lipscomb Bisons and the struggling Jacksonville Dolphins, Saturday’s contest went exactly as expected. The Bisons (11-8, 6-1 ASUN) limited the Dolphins (2-18, 1-7 ASUN) to an average of 11.6 points per set in a 3-0 thrashing at Allen Arena. “If [Jacksonville is] able to get comfortable, it gets kind of tricky,” Lipscomb coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “[But] I thought we added the pressure right from the beginning, and we never let up from that.” It was a tough day for the Dolphins, who combined for a hitting percentage of .041. Junior outside hitter Mallory Mattingly led the team with seven kills, but she also committed 10 errors and posted a hitting average of minus-.083. “Going into this match it was just about [keeping] the pressure,” Rosenthal said. “We wanted them to change because of us.” The star of the game was Bisons senior middle blocker Ca’Layci Coffey, who led the match with 14 kills and a hitting average of .737. Rosenthal called her “one of the hardest workers on the team.” “When she’s on, she’s on,” Rosenthal said. “And (the) past couple matches she’s really been able to turn it up just a little bit more each time.” The Bisons started the day with a 25-13 win in the first set. The Dolphins kept it close at first and were only down 9-7 before Lipscomb broke away. Coffey led the way with four kills, and senior outside hitter Carlyle Nusbaum scored the set point on a kill that landed in the back of Jacksonville’s territory. In the second set, the Bisons...