BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – Bryan College Volleyball dropped a hard-fought match against Union Commonwealth on Tuesday night, falling 3-1 (27-29, 28-30, 21-25, 23-25) in Barbourville, Kentucky.

The Lions (2-22, 1-7) showed resilience throughout the contest, taking the opening set and pushing Union Commonwealth to the brink in the second before ultimately falling short against the Bulldogs (4-13, 4-3).

Bryan College burst out of the gates with authority, building a commanding 6-0 lead behind strong serving from Elise Brew and kills from Leah Lindquist and Shelby Kelly. The early onslaught forced Union Commonwealth to call an early timeout, but the Lions maintained their composure to claim the first set 29-27 in a back-and-forth battle that featured 11 ties.

The second set proved equally dramatic, with neither team able to pull away. Bryan held a 25-24 advantage and appeared poised to take a 2-0 lead, but Union Commonwealth rallied late. The Bulldogs scored six of the final seven points, including a crucial kill by Ginevra Girardo, to steal the set 30-28 and even the match.

Union Commonwealth carried that momentum into the third set, taking it 25-21, before closing out the match with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.

Shelby Kelly paced Bryan's offense with 16 kills, while Bella Beard added 11 and Maddison Seabolt contributed 10. Maya Gipson orchestrated the attack with 29 assists, and Avery Baxter anchored the defense with a team-high 17 digs.
For Union Commonwealth, Rylee Stookey led all players with 17 kills, while Berkli Benefield added 12 and Ginevra Girardo chipped in 10. Sarah Charkosky distributed 31 assists for the Bulldogs.

The Lions will look to regroup as they continue their conference schedule on Friday at Columbia College.