Date Posted: 11/15/2007

MACON, Ga. - Fourth-seeded Lipscomb avenged a conference-opening loss in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Volleyball Tournament Thursday night, dominating the host Mercer Bears 30-15, 30-24, 30-26 to advance to the semifinals for the third consecutive season.

"The girls really wanted this one tonight," said Lipscomb head coach Brandon Rosenthal. "We had a good game plan tonight, and it was about letting the girls do what they do. I was really excited to see what we did in that first game tonight, setting the tone for the match."

After dropping a 3-2 decision in Macon to open conference play, the Lady Bisons exacted quick revenge Thursday evening, hitting an astronomical .484 as a team in the opening game, and cruising to a 30-15 victory. All-Atlantic Sun First-Team selection Sarah Snider belted six of her match-high 17 kills in the opening frame as the Lady Bisons committed just two errors en route to the opening stanza victory.

Lipscomb (18-11, 7-4 A-Sun) kept the pressure on in game two, and despite hitting a more pedestrian .196, limited the Bears to their second consecutive sub.100 hitting game, and took a commanding 2-0 match lead with a 30-24 victory.

Following the 10-minute intermission, the host Bears (8-20, 6-5 A-Sun) played much more inspired volleyball, but could not contain the hot-hitting Lady Bisons, as Lipscomb clinched the match 30-26. Snider added seven more kills in the final frame, closely followed by Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team honoree Alex Kelly's six.

Atlantic Sun freshman of the Year Jake Pease ably led the Lady Bisons offense, distributing 43 assists on the evening, with Kelly being the beneficiary of 12 of her sets.

The Lady Bisons will face defending conference champion Belmont in tomorrow's semifinal round in a rematch of last season's semifinal. Lipscomb fell in four games to its Nashville rival in the regular season.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Related Links:
 • Championship Coverage