Bowling Green, KY – The University of the Cumberlands volleyball team split the pair of matches to start the season. UC lost 3-2 against Florida College (25-13, 20-25, 21-25, 30-28, 10-15) and won 3-0 against Brescia University (25-19, 25-23, 25-12).

In the first match of the day, Lily Chapman led the way with 23 kills and 12 digs, while freshmen Anna Blumeier contributed 13 kills and 11 digs, Juliet Banks added 24 digs and five service aces.

In the first set the Patriots jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back. After two errors by the Falcons, Chapman started the Patriots offense with a kill. Then Banks went back to serve, where she notched three of her five aces. The early offense plus the ability to capitalize on errors gave the Patriots a boost to take the first set, 25-13.

The Falcons rebounded to take the second and third set. In the fourth set the Falcons jumped out to a 7-1 lead, but two back-to-back kills by Chapman turned the tide. Camryn Wells and Danielle Jackson added kills of their own. Lexi Lester then added two aces, which gave the Patriots the momentum they needed to win the fourth set 30-28. In the fifth set UC ran out of steam and was not able to capitalize on the Falcons errors as UC fell 3-2.

In the second match against Brescia, Chapman put in another great performance with 12 kills and three aces, and Shelby Lackey added seven kills.

The first set started slow having the Patriots trail 7-1, but a kill by Lackey turned the tide. Chapman then gave the Patriots two aces, and the offense did not stop coming.  UC was able to take the set 25-19.

The second set was tightly contested, but some late kills by Danielle Jackson help UC claim the set 25-23. The third set was dominated by the well-rounded UC offense. Defense also helped derail the Bearcat offense. Emily Prewitt and Chapman came away with two big blocks to help seal the deal for the Patriots first win of the season.

Savanah Schwarz led the way in assists for the day with 46. With Lester also helping out with 23 assists of her own.

The Patriots will return to action in The Vette City Classic on Saturday August 21, with games against Blue Mountain at 10 am and another against Missouri Valley at 5:30 pm. Live video of the Blue Mountain match is available here, while live stats will be available here.

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