Friday, November 18, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Second-seeded Lipscomb advanced to its fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship Final with a 3-0 sweep of No. 3 seed FGCU Eagles in the semifinals. Lauren Ford, an all-freshman selection, led the Lady Bisons with a match-high 12 kills on a .344 attack percentage.

Jelena Simic was best for the Eagles with 10 kills. Lipscomb’s Katie Rose – the A-Sun Co-Player of the Year – added eight kills and a match-high four block assists.

In the opening set, Lipscomb came out firing with a .472 attack percentage with 19 team kills to open with a 25-18 win. Five Lady Bisons tallied at least three kills in set one. FGCU also posted a high percentage at .320 with 10 kills in the opener. LU’s offense continued into the second set with an attack of .381. Ford and Rose both earned three kills in set two to lead the Bisons to a 25-13 victory.

Lipscomb closed out the match in the final set, 25-22. First Team All-Conference Kaycee Green teamed with Ford to earn five kills each and advance the Bisons to the next round.

The Lady Bisons will be searching for their third-straight A-Sun Championship title on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. With a win tomorrow, Lipscomb would become the first team since 2001-03 to capture three-straight titles.

All games of the 2011 Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship are broadcasted for free on ASun.TV.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.