LEBANON, Tenn.--In their first true road test, Cumberland could not overcome errors and fall on the road in four sets to Bryan.

Cumberland (3-2) had a strong start winning the first set, but got down big in the second set, had an opportunity to take set three, but couldn’t finish, and dropped the final set. Cumberland had their lowest hit percentage since the 2020 season posting 40 kills and 37 attack errors. CU also had 12 service errors and eight receiving errors.

Bryan College(4-1) did not play their best as well posting a negative hit percentage, but the Lions were able to string together enough plays to come out with a win. 

Lauren Galvan recorded 12 of the team's 40 kills while Harlee Reid had eight and Hazel Konkel added six.  Luciana Arena recorded one solo block and seven assisted and Shea Moore led the team in digs with 15. 

Bryan’s Raegan Malugin posted a team-high 10 kills while Elliot Brock had 27 digs. 

In the first set trailing 7-6, Cumberland trio of Galvan, Konkel, and Reid posted kills mixed in with an attack error by Bryan for a 4-0 run and a 10-7 lead. Bryan matched the run on a kill, a bad set, and two attack errors to regain the lead. Later, down 16-14, Cumberland exploded for an 8-1 run to take a commanding 22-17 lead and went on to win the set 25-19. 

Cumberland scored the first point of the second set, but Bryan went on a 5-0 swing with three kills and two aces to gain early momentum in the set. CU would battle back to cut the deficit to 7-6, but five straight Phoenix mistakes and an ace put the Lions up 13-6. Bryan would stretch that lead out to 10 at 23-13 before Cumberland would rally back with a 7-1 run, but the Lions would get the final point needed to win the set 25-20 and even the match 1-1. 

Bryan would take an 11-7 lead in the third set before Cumberland would again go on a huge 10-0 run to go up 17-11. Over the next nine points, Cumberland made seven errors allowing Bryan to tie it at 19-19. The Phoenix regrouped and were able to get to set point up by three, but the Lions rallied to tie it and send it to extra points. Bryan came up with two points from kills to take the third set and a 2-1 lead. 

Cumberland never led in the fourth set and was only tied once at 1-1 as Bryan jumped up 8-2 early. Bryan held a six point lead all the way to 16-10. Cumberland cut it to a three-point deficit at 19-16 before a 3-0 run pushed it back out to six. The Phoenix would get back in it with a 6-1 run to trail 23-22, but the Lions finished it with a kill and an attack error to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-1. 

CU will be back in action with four matches this weekend at the Liz Hozzler Labor Day Classic hosted by Bethel University in Mishawaka, Indiana.