Saturday, October 22, 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 22, 2005) - The East Tennessee State volleyball team suffered another Atlantic Sun Conference setback on Saturday afternoon, as Belmont downed the Lady Bucs, 30-18, 30-21, and 30-22, for the 3-0 victory, in Curb Event Center.  ETSU drops to 2-4 in Conference play, 15-9 overall, while the Bruins boast a 6-1 A-Sun standing, and an 18-11 overall mark. 

Jennifer Sartor (Toronto, Ontario) was the lone Lady Buc to reach double digits in the kill column, posting a team-high 10.  The junior also managed a match-best 10 digs, for the afternoon's only double-double.  Junior Jennifer Emerson (Santa Clara, Calif.) recorded a team-high 29 assists in the loss.

"I definitely have to give Belmont a lot of credit," said head coach Lindsey Devine.  "They run a fast offense, and we just didn't make changes fast enough to stop them.  It's a disappointment because we have the talent to win games when we play as a team, but right now, we are just lacking mental focus."

Brittany Kessel (Libertyville, Ill.) added nine digs, along with four kills, while Crystal Palmer (Chico, Calif.) and Callie Kiselich (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added six and five kills, respectively.

Belmont's Sara Jacobson tallied a match-high 13 kills, while teammate Lindsay Cleveland added 11.  Bruin Colleen Nilson led all players in assists with 39.  Cleveland and teammate Ashley Collier led Belmont defensively with nine digs apiece.

The Bruins swung an impressive .374 for the match, while holding Lady Bucs to just .077, ETSU's worst hitting output of the season.   

Saturday's match completes ETSU's two-game roadtrip, as the Lady Bucs return home to Brooks Gym next week.  The four-game home stand begins with High Point at 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, October 26.  The Lady Bucs have a pair of A-Sun matches slated for the weekend with Mercer on Friday, October 28, at 7:00 p.m., and Stetson on Saturday, October 29, at 12:00 p.m.  Senior Day festivities are scheduled to precede the Stetson match.