Volleyball jumps to first place in A-Sun after two win weekend

Halloween was a day for tricks and treats, but in Allen Arena, it was also a day for an important volleyball matchup. The Lady Bisons pulled off a 3-0 victory against conference foe, Stetson in fairly quick fashion. Libero Bri McCombs led the Lady Bisons with a match-high 16 digs. Jordan Huston also posted a match-high 34 assists while adding a service ace and three kills, and Brittnay Estes had a match high .538 hitting percentage. The Student Athletic Advisory Committee organized some fun for the fans also Halloween night. Several athletic teams dressed up in costume while they supported the Lady Bisons. The track and cross country team dressed as the 101 Dalmations. The softball team dressed as phone apps, and women’s basketball dressed as Noah’s ark. Several other athletes dressed up as well. In between the third and fourth sets of the game the athletes handed out candy to any children who were at the game, and they were also dressed in costume. On Saturday the Lady Bisons stepped into the number one spot in the conference after defeating Florida Gulf Coast 3-1. Both squads now have one loss within the conference. Next week, Lipscomb will be traveling to Florida to play North Florida on Friday and Jacksonville Saturday. Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. Photo gallery by Erin...

Volleyball wins two over weekend

The Lipscomb Lady Bisons rallied for a 3-2 win after dropping sets one and three to the North Florida Ospreys this afternoon. Each set was decided with no more than a seven point deficit; both were teams in full gear. “Credit goes to North Florida, that team is so good to be 0 and 5,” said Lipscomb libero Bri McCombs. “They’re definitely one of the best teams we’ve played in conference.” McCombs kept several plays alive by leading the Lady Bisons with 17 digs. Brittnay Estes and Sophie Kellerman added 14 digs each. Both Estes and Kellerman posted double-doubles with 14 and 10 kills respectively. McCombs made mention that the Bisons were playing well all around. “Our blocks came in clutch, towards the end of the fifth set and I’m really proud of our offense, our blocks and our defense,” said McCombs. “I’m proud of the whole team.” Saturday night’s win concludes the Lady Bisons 2-0 weekend. Their other win was against Jacksonville University Friday night in four sets. Lipscomb is now 5-0 in the A-Sun and 11-6 overall for the season. The Lady Bisons will be back on the road for two more games next weekend. Their first stop will be at Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 17, followed by Stetson on Oct....

The Postgame: Men’s, women’s soccer, cross country receive national recognition

WOMEN’S SOCCER The Lady Bisons soccer team holds a 6-4-1 record. In the month of September, Lipscomb is 5-2 with wins over Austin Peay, Western California, Chattanooga, Samford and Grand Canyon. With the win over Chattanooga, the program made history. The win was the third in a row, which was the first time the women’s soccer program had won three consecutive games. Sophomore Carolyn Springsteen earned Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week the week of Sept. 8. Sophomore Ellen Lundy leads all scorers with four goals and eight points. Freshman Emily Rodgers scored her first career goal in a 3-1 loss to Arizona. Lipscomb’s recent hot streak helped vault them into the top ten of the National Soccer Coaches Assocation of America’s (NSCAA) Southeast poll. They ranked eighth in the most recent poll. The Lady Bisons will start their conference schedule Sept. 27 against Kennesaw State at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. Men’s Soccer After big recent wins over Memphis and Houston Baptist, the men’s soccer team joined the women’s team in the top ten of the NSCAA poll. The Bisons currently sit at number six. Following a week in which he produced two goals and an assist, junior Josue Chavez became the third Bison in four weeks (joining Luke Gearin and Matt Kerridge) to win the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Player of the Week. CROSS COUNTRY Both the men’s and women’s cross country squads are ranked in the top 10 of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s south region rankings. The women are ranked fourth, and the men are ranked sixth. The teams...

Lady Bisons use Lipscomb Invitational as preparation for A-Sun slate

The Lady Bison Volleyball team fought hard throughout the Lipscomb Invitational, but came up short in the end. In the last match of the tournament, the Lady Bisons faced the Utes of Utah. The Pac-12 team beat Georgia Tech in three sets and ETSU in three, but Lipscomb took the Utes to four sets. The team lost the first two sets right out of the gate. The first set 25-18 and the second 25-17, but going into the locker room head coach Brandon Rosenthal had a talk with his team to get them prepared for set three. “There was a talk with the team. There’s an expectation that they’ve set, and it’s their responsibility to go after it,” Rosenthal said. Following the first two sets, the Lady Bisons came out on fire to win the third set 25-15 becoming the first team in the tournament to take Utah to four sets. Despite their efforts, the Lady Bisons came up three points short in the final set losing 25-22; however, Rosenthal was pleased with the effort from his team. “The talk after the match was just, hey I like what I saw,” Rosenthal said. “There is no chewing out or what not, well there was a little chewing out between two and three, but after the match, I mean, they gave me everything they had there in two and three, and that’s all you can ask for, and I’m really pleased with that.” At the end of the match, the Lady Bisons had more kills than the Utes, but were out-blocked. Brittnay Estes led the team with 13 kills in...

Lady Bisons lose home opener

The Lady Bisons volleyball team struggled to keep pace with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in their home opener, resulting in a three-set loss. After a slow start, the Purple and Gold showed some promise in the last two sets, but ultimately it was not enough to overcome. The loss ended the Lady Bisons six-game winning streak. Head coach Brandon Rosenthal was disappointed with his team’s lack of focus and passion. “I didn’t think we came with that same drive and passion,” Rosenthal said. “I felt like tonight we were trying to manufacture it (energy), instead of it coming from the heart.” While Rosenthal was not happy with the playing of his team, he did recognize the strong play from the Hilltoppers. “More than anything, it’s a matter of playing our brand of volleyball, we didn’t do that tonight,” Rosenthal added. “A lot of that had to do with what Western Kentucky did.” Western Kentucky blitzed Lipscomb in the first set, 25 to 11, then went on to take the final two sets, 25 to 20. “Western Kentucky is a good team,” Rosenthal said. “They played some disciplined volleyball and unfortunately we paid for it.” Already without middle blocker Jewell Dobson, LUV was also without libero Bri McCombs. McCombs was a game-time decision. “Any time you are filling in for multiple players it makes it tough,” Rosenthal said. “But by the same token it gives other players opportunities.” The Lady Bisons return to Allen Arena this weekend to host the Lipscomb Invitational. They open with Georgia Tech on Friday night at 6:30 p.m., then take on in-state foe ETSU on Saturday afternoon at 12:30. The Lady Bisons wrap up with Utah at 6:30 p.m. Photo credit to Erin...