Box Score
JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven Volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to defeat East Texas Baptist University in five sets at the Millsaps Tournament on Friday night. The Blazers gutted out a marathon match due to heady play and senior leadership in their first matchup of the 2012 season.

It would have been easy for the Blazers to give up after a sluggish start against the Tigers of East Texas Baptist. The Tigers came out full throttle in the first set and the Blazers struggled to find a rhythm, which resulted in a tough first set loss.

Instead of searching for excuses, the squad rallied from six points down in the second set to take an exhilarating thirty minute set win 32-30. Three times the Blazers were down set point, but fought back to ultimately take it and tie the overall game score at one.

Switching sides of the court didn't derail the momentum the team had following their second set win, as the Blazers quickly got out to a 16-6 lead. The Tigers tried to crawl back into the set, but the Blazers pulled away for the 25-16 third set win.

Needing only one more set to clinch the matchup, the Blazers were three points away from taking the match before the Tigers scored six straight points to tie the overall score at two. The Blazers weren't tested much in the final set taking it 15-9 to clinch their first victory of the season.

The offense revolved around senior setter Erin Bradley all night. She accrued 40 assists on the night, which puts her well on her way towards becoming the Belhaven record holder in that statistical category. Bradley's assists were well spread out among four players: Sam O'Malley (10 kills), Natalie Davis (12 kills), Taylor Williams (13 kills) and newcomer Morgan Hofacker (8 kills).

Serving had been a sticking point in recent practices for the Blazers and they showed well in that regard despite not practicing on Thursday due to Tropical Storm Isaac. Alyson Plyler led the way with four aces for the Blazers.

First year Coach Jordan Lay was thrilled with his team's effort in his first game at the helm.

"We battled all night long. Our girls were resilient, and never gave an inch. That's the way to start off a season right there.  Fighting all five sets and coming out on top. We could not have asked for more,” Lay said. "After dropping the first set, our girls found their footing and never looked back. I am so, so proud of the way they played.”

The Blazers will look to rely on their talented seniors for the remainder of the season if they want to duplicate their first match success. With many new additions to the lineup there is evidence that the chemistry isn't there just yet, but Lay isn't worried.

"Our seniors lead the way in every aspect. They set the tone from the start and our girls rallied around them and if this is a sign of things to come, we are going to have a phenomenal season."

The Blazers look to build upon their Friday performance with a double header Saturday against Faulkner and host Millsaps at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively.