Nashville, Tenn. – Vanderbilt volleyball opened its home slate defeating Belmont 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 18-25, 25-20) on campus at Wyatt Lawn before a crowd of 3,467 fans.
It was the Commodores’ (1-1, 0-0 SEC) first home victory since 1980 and head coach Anders Nelson’s first as a head coach.
The Dores’ defense stifled Belmont’s (0-1, 0-0 MVC) attacking efforts, limiting the Bruins to a hitting percentage of just .152. At the net, Vandy recorded 10 blocks, with Moore accounting for six total blocks. Hailee Mack had 16 digs, her second straight contest recording double-digit digs.
Vanderbilt’s offensive execution was highlighted by Kamryn Chaney, who led the team with 20 kills and a hitting percentage of .378. Jackie Moore contributed nine kills while hitting at a .300 clip. Setter Isabella Bareford registered 39 assists and notched three aces.
Brooke Gilleland led Belmont offensively with 15 kills, accounting for 15 of the team’s 54 points. Lilly Lutz added 13 digs for the Bruins.
Vandy jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first set, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Bareford. The Dores had a nine-point lead, the score 21-12, but the Bruins went on a 6-0 run to cut Vanderbilt’s lead to four. A pair of kills from Chaney cemented the 25-17 win for the Commodores.
The Dores’ momentum continued into set 2, which they won 25-15.
Belmont took the third set by a score of 25-18, hitting .346 as a team. Vanderbilt bounced back in the fourth set, winning 25-21, closing out the program’s historic win.
The Commodores return to action Sunday when they play Illinois at Bridgestone Arena as part of the Sprouts’ Farmers Market Broadway Block Party. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network with first serve set for 5 p.m.
