BMCU volleyball opened the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Volleyball Championship in Montgomery, Alabama, with a 3-0 sweep of Andrew College on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 12. The Blue Mountain Christian University Volley Toppers won 25-14, 25-16, 25-16 at the Cramton Bowl. The win puts the Blue Mountain program at 13-15 for the season heading into Friday’s pool play finale.
BMCU Volleyball Controls the Match From the Start
According to the university’s athletics department, Blue Mountain Christian set the tone early. The Volley Toppers put down 14 kills and hit .310 in the opening set to win it 25-14.
Andrew College never found a rhythm at the net. Over the whole match, BMCU recorded 37 kills and hit .281. Andrew College finished with 17 kills and a negative hitting percentage (-.033). Blue Mountain won the next two sets by identical 25-16 scores to close out the sweep.
Individual Leaders for the Volley Toppers
Several players filled the stat sheet in Thursday’s tournament opener:
Salice Speed led all players with 13 kills.
Marissa Gerleman added nine kills.
Sydney Tague served five aces.
Abbi Williams led the defense with 15 digs.
Mattie Hopper had four blocks, and Olivia Domino had three.
Domino also led the team with 10 assists, and Brenyn Wilbanks added nine.
As a team, BMCU finished with eight service aces, seven blocks and 47 digs. Andrew College had four aces and two blocks, according to the official box score.
Next Up: Loyola in Final Pool Play Match
Blue Mountain Christian returns to the court Friday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. against Loyola University (La.) in its last pool play match of the SSAC Championship. BMCU Athletics said the winner will advance to the next round of the tournament.
The postseason run follows an up-and-down regular season. BMCU went 7-9 in conference play, and earlier this fall the team also swept Freed-Hardeman. Fans can follow live stats and the stream through the BMCU athletics website.
Blue Mountain Christian University, founded in 1873, competes in the NAIA as a member of the SSAC. Thursday’s win gave local fans reason to watch Friday morning’s match closely.
Why It Matters for Tippah County Fans
A conference tournament win is a strong finish for a program that has battled near .500 all season. Advancing past pool play would extend the season and give the Blue Mountain community one more weekend of volleyball to follow. Tippah News will post the result of Friday’s match against Loyola when it is available.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
