By Mark Priddy, Contributing Writer
Blue Raider Volleyball took home their second victory this season having narrowly defeated the Belmont Bruins in what turned out to be a five-set match on Saturday night.
It was a close beginning and concluded with Middle Tennessee losing the first set. The Blue Raiders fought to hold on but lost their grip with a service error ending the set. Scarlet Gable led Belmont to win it, but couldn’t keep Chelsea Ross from making kill after kill in the second set, taking back the momentum and leading the team to a tied match at 1-1.
The third set lacked momentum gained by the Blue Raiders in the first two although Miri Shade championed the court for its entirety. Middle Tennessee came through with the win, ending the third set at 24-26.
A flurry of service errors led to Belmont winning the fourth set. Middle Tennessee kept the set tied until the end with an ace from Brianna Pannone and kill from Ross.
Strong aces from the Blue Raiders kept them ahead of the Bruins for the better half of the fifth set. Initially, they were down by one kill and took a timeout at 6-7 to reinvigorate themselves. Middle Tennessee cautiously took the set at 15-11 and match at 3-2 over Belmont. The Blue Raiders are currently 3-0 in five-set matches for the season.
For their next match, the Blue Raiders will travel to South Orange, N.J. on September 19th to face Dartmouth at the Seton Hall Classic.
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