Box Score vs SWU    Box Score vs Loyola
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Belhaven volleyball team closed out the 2012 campaign with an up and down day from an emotional standpoint. The Blazers defeated Southern Wesleyan in their first matchup of the day, but fell to rival Loyola in the quarterfinals, which effectively ended their season.

It was a wild ride for the Blazers and Friday afternoon was the perfection depiction of their 2012 season. Through thick and thin, the team fought to the end as they have all season, but they fell short of their goal.

Belhaven started the afternoon against the Warriors of Southern Wesleyan. A few weeks ago, Southern Wesleyan rallied from a two set deficit to shock the Blazers in South Carolina. The Blazers took a few pages out of the playbook in the rematch.

Belhaven dropped the first game 25-23 and looked poised to go down two games to none when the Warriors jumped out to a 20-14 lead in the second set.

However, the Blazers went on a furious tear, winning 11 of the final 13 points played in the set to win 25-22. The set win brought the match to a deadlock.

With momentum suddenly on their side, Belhaven grabbed ahold of another set 25-21 to take the lead in the match.
The Blazers completed the comeback in the fourth set, laboring to win a 30-28 clinching set and sending Belhaven to a perfect SSAC pool play record. Lee University was the only other team to accomplish the feat, as Spring Hill was upset by Brenau on Friday morning.

However, a rule in place allowed the top seeded Badgers to keep their seed in the tournament, despite not being one of the two undefeated teams in pool play.

The series of events meant that Belhaven would have to play the lone quarterfinal game against Loyola University on Friday night.

The Wolfpack has played much better over the past month after an early season swoon in SSAC play. Part of their resurgence was a dominating victory at home over the Blazers last Tuesday night.

Belhaven carried their early day successes into the matchup with the Wolfpack, taking the first set easily 25-18.
Loyola looked unsettled by the first set and got stronger as the match progressed.

They won the next three sets, 25-22, 25-20, 25-18 to move on to a semi-final matchup with Spring Hill on Saturday morning. The Belhaven loss meant that it was the end of the line.

Friday marked the end of an era for Blazer volleyball that will come with some mixed emotions over the next few weeks.
The departing senior class is one of the major reasons why the team has had so much success over the past two seasons. They were a part of two of the three best win totals in program history, including the record-breaking 27 wins the finished with this season.

They also placed two players on all-time records lists.

Taylor Williams finished third in school history with 1,084 kills. Erin Bradley broke the all-time assist record she has been chasing all season in her final collegiate match.

Needing only 17 assists against Loyola to break the record, she got more than enough and will finish her career with 4,080 assists. That mark passes Kelsey Stack who had an impressive four year career as a Blazer, ending in 2008.

None the less, it was a great season for the Belhaven volleyball team.