After five sets of battling point by point, the volleyball Sugar Bears (6-8, 0-2 ASUN) fell to the Lipscomb Bisons (6-5, 1-0 ASUN) in the Sept. 22 ASUN Conference home opener.

The first set of the game started with a tight back-and-forth. Each time one team scored, the other would call back immediately. 

However, after being neck and neck at 10-10 the Bisons broke away from the Sugar Bears eventually gaining a six-point lead at 19-13. 

After holding the Bisons and evening out the set once again to 22-22, the Sugar Bears lost the set 25-22.

While the second set started in the favor of the Bisons, the Sugar Bears were once again able to even the set at 10-10, bringing on yet another back-and-forth battle for points.

Even with a breakaway made possible by kills from junior outside hitter Lilly Taylor, the teams were once again evened out at 23-23. With a kill by sophomore outside hitter Laci Bohannan, and a ball handling error by the Bisons, the Sugar Bears narrowly won the set.

Going into the third set, the Bisons kept the upper hand the entire set, eventually getting a 12-point lead over the Sugar Bears. Even after a six-point streak, the Sugar Bears lost the set 25-18.

After the rough previous set, the Sugar Bears took the reins in the fourth set at 4-3 and maintained the lead, taking the set at 25-21.

In the deciding set of the game, the Sugar Bears battled the Bisons for the first five points, but the Bisons quickly gained a lead and won the set 15-7.

Coach John Newberry said, “We don’t ever want to play neck and neck, we always want to go up and dominate … There’s lessons to be learned, but you always want to come out on top. Five set losses are the toughest out of all of them.”

“It’s a strong serving team that we faced so our job was to make sure that we handled our serves really well. We didn’t at times, but overall we did fairly well,” Newberry said.

Sugar Bear game leaders for the game were Taylor with 16 kills and one block; Bohannan with 13 kills, two blocks and two aces; junior middle blocker Allison Holloway with 10 kills, two blocks and two aces; freshman right and outside hitter Gabby Tuiaana with seven kills and one block; sophomore setter Caylan Koons with 48 assists and senior defensive specialist and libero Lexie Gregory with 21 digs and three aces.

Koons said that an important strategy for tight games is “just staying composed as a team and making sure we’re staying disciplined and executing.”

“I think we played really well as a team honestly. I mean, we had our lows and I think that when we do get our lows that we need to try to not get as low as we do, but I think we played really well,” Koons said.

Koons added that because the mental game is “70% of the whole game,” being a good teammate and keeping yourself and others in good spirits is important.

Koons said that her strategy for keeping herself present play-by-play is a “17+” she has written across her wrist. The 17, she says, stands for senior middle blocker Macy Blackburn, who tore her ACL a couple of weeks ago “and then obviously, the cross [stands] for the Lord. I play for him,” Koons said. 

Koons said that the team needs to keep a positive mindset for their upcoming Sept. 24 game. 

“We played well, so we shouldn’t get down on ourselves.”

During the entire game, the Sugar Bears’ bench did cheers and danced to keep up the morale and energy of the team. 

Koon said, “Our team is so funny. We just really preach [that] everyone is an important key to the team. We really make sure our bench is engaged and everyone’s just coming together because we can’t it do without everyone.”

The Sugar Bears’ next game is Sept. 29 against the Bellarmine Knights in Louisville, Kentucky.