JACKSON, Miss. - The Belhaven Volleyball team notched their first victory of the year in style on Wednesday night as they topped in-state rival MUW in a five-set thriller inside Rugg Arena.

The Blazers and Owls put on a back and forth match for the ages and it was Belhaven who took the early momentum, outlasting the visitors in the first set 25-20. It was Belhaven who took a timeout in the first set when trailing 14-12 which helped spark a scoring streak that pushed the Blazers in front 21-17. Out of an Owls' timeout, the Blazers were able to remain in control and take the 1-0 set advantage.

The second set followed a similar script with the Blazers calling a timeout first, albeit after an MUW surge had leveled the set at 18-18. This time though it would be the visitors who prevailed, taking the set 26-24 after trailing 24-22. 

The middle set would play out in a more lopsided way as Belhaven took down the Owls 25-12 after MUW was penalized for a substitution infraction that took the score from 10-10 to 11-9 in favor of the Blazers. That moment sent Belhaven on a run, scoring the next six points en route to a 2-1 set advantage.

MUW would not go quietly though and opened the fourth set on a stunning 16-0 run on their way to a 25-7 set victory which forced a fifth and final set. The decisive set opened up in favor of the visitors who quickly jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Belhaven took a timeout and was able to close the gap but still trailed 14-12 in a set that would be decided at 15 points. 

Belhaven rallied to take a 15-14 advantage, forcing another match point and sparking a back-and-forth that saw the match reach a 17-17 scoreline. Rylee White provided the difference in the end for the Blazers grabbing the final two points with a pair of kills and sending Belhaven home with the win. 

Freshman Aniyah Tompkins had a career-day as she led all players with a stellar 47 assists in the match. A trio of Blazers finished with double digits kills as Caitlin Torok led the way with 16, followed by Megan LaCour at 13 and Rylee White with 11. Kayla Robinson also had an impressive match with 35 digs while LaCour racked up 27 digs of her own.

The Blazers return to action on Friday when they make the trip across Riverside Drive to face rival Millsaps College at 7:00 PM. 

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