Saturday, November 19, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Lipscomb won its third-straight Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 sweep of top-seeded Belmont Bruins in Allen Arena on Saturday. The title is the Lady Bisons fourth in the past five championships. The three-straight titles is the longest streak since 2001-03.

Lipscomb opened the match with a 25-16 win in set one. Belmont jumped out to an early lead in the opener at 6-2, but the Lady Bisons closed the set on a 22-10 run. Lauren Ford Led the way with seven kills. As a team, Lipscomb posted a .283 attack percentage, while holding the Bruins to a .125.

The Lady Bisons (20-9; 11-2) offense continued into the second game with 17 team kills and a .333 attack to give LU the 25-16 set win. Belmont (21-9;11-2) struggled with a .037 attack percentage with only six kills. The A-Sun Co-Player of the Year, Katie Rose posted seven kills and 10 digs through the first two sets.

Lipscomb closed out the championship final with a 25-14 win in set three to capture the championship title. The Lady Bisons become the first host school since Belmont in 2006 to win the tournament title. Lipscomb is also the first team since Belmont in 2006 to sweep all of its opponents in the tournament.

Lipscomb freshmen Jewell Dobson and Lauren Ford posted match-highs with 12 kills. Belmont’s Maggie Johnson, the A-Sun Co-Player of the Year, led the way for the Bruins with nine kills.

Atlantic Sun Championship All-Tournament Team:
Katie Rose, Lipscomb – Championship MVP
Abby Fay, Lipscomb
Lauren Ford, Lipscomb
Maggie Johnson, Belmont
Jen Myer, Belmont
Allison McCoy, Belmont
Megan Devine, ETSU

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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.