DeLand, Fla. ? The Stetson volleyball team (2-16, 0-11 Atlantic Sun) started out hot in Friday's match against visiting Belmont (14-6, 8-3 A-Sun), winning the opening set 25-20, but ultimately could not sustain the momentum and fell in four sets 20-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-15.  Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Ream (Venice, Fla.) led the Hatters with eight kills while setters Jennica Hagberg (Niceville, Fla.) and Megan Stewart (St. Augustine, Fla.) each reached double figures in assists.

The Hatters used some uncharacteristically dominant hitting (14 kills, one error) to record a .650 attack percentage in the first set.  Stetson led by as much as 17-9 at one point before the Bruins closed the gap, but the Hatters never let their opponents get closer than four points to record the set victory.

Belmont soon regrouped, however, and controlled play for the remainder of the match, allowing the Hatters to score just 46 total points in the final three sets.  Cat Mundy led Belmont with 20 kills while Channing Salava handed out 51 assists and Ester Mellado notched 12 digs.

Stetson suffered its seventh consecutive loss and did not have a player reach double figures in kills for the fourth match in a row.  Freshman middle blocker Sam Freeman (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) had five kills and hit a team-high .300 with three blocks.  Hagberg tallied 19 assists while Stewart had a career-high 13 helpers.

The Hatters conclude their four-match homestand Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against reigning A-Sun Tournament champions Lipscomb.  The match will be webcasted through Hatter Vision with Bill Topping providing commentary.  Hatter Vision and live stats are both available at www.GoHatters.com, the official online home of Stetson Athletics.