NASHVILLE, TENN. - - For Belmont seniors Katie Tobiasz (Rocky River, Ohio) and Erin Janson (Crestview Hills, Ky.), it could have been the final match of their distinguished careers. Instead, they turned it into one of their most memorable. With a raucous, Curb Event Center record crowd of nearly 1,000 cheering them on, Belmont Volleyball moved past rival Lipscomb in convincing fashion, 30-26, 30-23, 30-24, to reach its third consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference final

The highly-anticipated final match of the day as expected ebbed and flowed early on. The lead seesawed back and forth until a solo block from sophomore Cat Mundy (Dallas, Texas) capped a 4-0 Bruin run and gave Belmont an 11-8 edge. A kill from Janson extended the margin to five, 15-10. After the Lady Bisons inched within three, two more Janson kills and a Lipscomb ball handling error pushed Belmont ahead, 20-13. Junior Colleen Nilson (McHenry, Ill.) lived up to her Atlantic Sun Player of the Year billing, orchestrating the Belmont offense. But beyond the box score, freshman Cary O’Connor (Tulsa, Okla.) provided solid serve receiving and passing which kept the Bruins aggressive

Nonetheless, Lipscomb showcased great heart and defense to climb back into the game. The Lady Bisons scored nine of the next eleven points to square the score, 22-22. Instead of doubting themselves, the Bruins simply regrouped and reasserted their offensive attack. Six straight points on the serve of junior Brittany Card (Carlinville, Ill.) – highlighted by two kills each by Janson and Tobiasz – put BU ahead 28-22. Lipscomb got as close as three, but an acrobatic lefty putaway from Janson closed out game one, 30-26.

Game two, while also hotly-contested to ten points, was more in the Bruins’ control. The Lady Bisons jumped out 1-0, which ironically turned out to be their lone lead of the game. A down-the-line kill from Mundy gave Belmont a 10-9 advantage. But Tobiasz was the story early in game two, mixing untouchable cross-court kills with down-the-line tips to keep Lipscomb guessing. Leading 16-13, BU rattled off seven straight points on the Tobiasz serve, building the lead to a seemingly comfortable ten points, 23-13.

But once again, the Lady Bisons battled back, scoring eight of the next ten to trim the margin to two points, 23-21. At this tenuous stage, Nilson wisely shifted her focus to her capable all-conference middle hitter, Jaye Schuler (Lexington, Ill.) and Emily Cahill (Lakeside Park, Ky.). The two middles combined for the next five Bruin points to carry BU to a 28-23 edge. After a solo block from Janson – Belmont delivered arguably the point of the match. A scrambling dig from sophomore Ashley Collier (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and a one-hand stab attack from Cahill that kissed the line provided a 30-23 win, and a 2-0 lead.

Following the ten-minute break, the Bruins remained focus and potent. Tobiasz and Schuler powered Belmont to an early 9-4 lead. The defense and passing stayed sharp, and three more thunderous kills from Mundy inched the lead out to six, 14-8. Bruin serving – though at times too aggressive in errors – on the whole handcuffed Lipscomb’s offense and offered many easy points. BU’s lead fluctuated between six and eight points much of the game until a kill from Tobiasz that nearly drilled a hole into the Curb Event Center floor bumped the lead to nine, 24-15. Once again Belmont trailed only once, 1-0, in sweeping its rival, 30-24.