JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven University volleyball team lost in three sets at home on Saturday afternoon against East Texas Baptist University in American Southwest Conference play.
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INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: ETBU 3, Belhaven 0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-13).
Records: Belhaven 12-14, (6-9), ETBU 13-16
Location: Rugg Arena | Jackson, Miss.
Get Social: Twitter | @BelhavenBlazers
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- ETBU controlled the match and never allowed Belhaven to find any rhythm in all three sets of play.
- The Tigers dominated the play up at the net early with several kills which had the Blazers reeling.
- East Texas Baptist led 15-9 before increasing their advantage on Belhaven out to 22-12.
- Down 24-14, Belhaven stayed alive and fought hard by staving off four consecutive set points before dropping the set 25-18.
- In the second set, the Blazers struggled again to get things going and found themselves trailing.
- After a timeout, the Green and Gold cut a 20-14 deficit down to 22-19 as they made a late rally in the set.
- However, ETBU would close out the set by winning the final three points to claim a 25-19 set victory and a 2-0 set lead.
- The Blazers led 2-1 in the third set until the Tigers began their offensive spark. Belhaven quickly trailed 13-4 and were never able to threaten the Tigers' lead in the set, as ETBU won 25-13 to preserve the sweep.
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KEY STATISTICS
- Kelly Aholt collected a team-high 22 assists and six digs.
- Allie Perkins led the Blazers' defense with 17 digs.
- Blaykleigh Smythe recorded nine kills in the loss.
- Evelyn Parker tabbed four kills and two total blocks.
- Junior Ryan Hardin registered six kills.
- Lauren Whiting and Katy Grace Abbott each notched eight digs.
- ETBU finished the match with 48 kills compared to Belhaven's 27.
- The Tigers also had a .286 hitting percentage, while the Green and Gold finished with a .168 hitting percentage.
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UP NEXT
Belhaven faces Louisiana College at Rugg Arena on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The Blazers swept the Wildcats in their first meeting of the season in Pineville, La.
For the latest news on Belhaven Blazers athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
