Balanced Belmont attack too much for Eastern volleyball team

Adam Tumino, Volleyball Reporter

Five Belmont players surpassed their season averages for kills per set Saturday afternoon as the Bruins ended a 14-match losing streak, beating Eastern in straight sets.

Eastern is now the only team in the OVC without a conference win and have not won a set in four conference matches to start the year.

After a close and well-played first set, in which Eastern recorded a hitting percentage of .345 and Belmont hit .407, the Panthers came out flat in set two.

Belmont played even more efficiently in the second set, hitting .448. Eastern recorded just six kills in the set with seven attack errors, hitting -.040 and losing the set 25-11.

The Belmont attackers had their way with Eastern in the set, and the balanced attack was difficult for the Panthers to defend throughout the match.

“It’s impressive that Belmont started to spread out their offense,” Eastern head coach Julie Allen said. “Before, they were just running through their two oustides, so we prepared a defense versus their outsides. It was a good job by their coaching staff balancing it out and their setter getting the ball to (their hitters).”

Belmont setter Carly Mason had 33 assists, tying her second-highest total of the season. Five Bruins recorded six or more kills in the match, led by sophomore Taylor Floyd with 10. It was just the fourth time this season Floyd recorded double-digit kills.

Junior Mackenzie LePage recorded eight kills despite having just 20 coming in to the match. Floyd and LePage’s contributions helped the Bruins overcome an uncommonly ineffective match by their best player this season: junior Halee Van Poppel.

Van Poppel had just eight kills in the match, averaging over half a kill per set below her season average. Her hitting percentage of .087 was well below her .203 hitting percentage on the season.

For Eastern, Kylie Michael tied her season high with eight kills. She also recorded two service aces to reach a season-high ten points.

Senior Maggie Runge continued her efficient hitting for Eastern, recording five kills with a season-high .455 hitting percentage, which was also the highest in the match for either team.

The Panthers do not play again until Oct. 11 when they play Southeast Missouri on the road. The five full days between matches comes after Eastern played four matches in the last eight days.

“It gives us more time to prepare, but it’s also more time for our student-athletes to rest their bodies,” Allen said. She also said it is beneficial for the players to have more time to fall back into their routines with school for nearly a whole week of classes.

“It’s imperative to keep on that routine, so it’s harder when you have those four games in eight days,” Allen said. “This is going to be nice for us.”

Southeast Missouri is 10-7 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. The Redhawks are also unbeaten at home.

 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].