EDINBORO, Pa.—The Bellarmine Knights volleyball team couldn't have written a better script for their first day of the 2017 regular season with a pair of sweeps in the Rebich Investments Invitational hosted by Edinboro University. Opening with Lock Haven in a noon match, the Knights ran out to a 25-14, 25-20, 25-12 victory. Bellarmine then came back just a couple of hours later to prevail over Fairmont State 26-24, 25-21, 28-26.
 
Bellarmine concludes the tournament tomorrow with matches against Walsh at 10 a.m. and Edinboro at 3 p.m.
 
BELLARMINE-LOCK HAVEN (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
Bellarmine freshman Abbie Oetting recorded her first collegiate kill on the match's opening play, and for the Knights and Oetting, it was a sign of good things to come.  Bellarmine rolled to a straight sets victory, and Oetting was the top point-producer in the match, finishing with 13 kills with an attack percentage of .480 while tacking on a pair of assisted blocks.
 
The Knights used a 7-0 run to take a commanding 12-4 lead in the first set and went on to post a 25-14 victory.  
 
In the second game, the Bald Eagles jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but the Knights responded with three straight points.  After Lock Haven knotted the score at seven apiece, Bellarmine seized the lead for good with a 6-0 run and held on to win by a count of 25-20.
 
The final set was all Bellarmine as the Knights led from start to finish, putting together another 7-0 run and registering a convincing 25-12 win.
 
The Bellarmine offense ran with efficiency as the Knights hit .300 for the match.  Joining Oetting in double digit kills was Lydia Lange with 11 while hitting .667 in the match. Katie Adams also had a strong showing with nine kills and a .444 attack percentage.
 
Senior setter Allie Muha recorded a double-double, going for 43 assists and 10 digs. Junior libero Jordyn Kuchenbrod came up with a match-high 20 digs.
 
BELLARMINE-FAIRMONT STATE (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
After playing with the lead in their opening match of the day, the Knights had to dig deep and come from behind against the Fighting Falcons. 
 
In the opening set, Bellarmine found itself in a highly precarious position, trailing 23-17, but the Knights stormed back to win 10 of the set's final 11 points to pull out an improbable 26-24 victory.
 
The second set saw the Knights bolt out to a 12-4 lead, but had to withstand a Fairmont State comeback attempt to pull out the 25-21 win.
 
In the third game, Bellarmine again found itself playing from behind. The Knights took their first lead at 20-19.  The Fighting Falcons lived up to their nickname, however, by fighting off four match points before the Knights nailed down the victory with a 28-26 win.
 
Adams and Margaret Horihan led the Bellarmine attack with 12 kills apiece while Muha dished out 38 assists on BU's 46 kills. 
 
Defensively, Kuchenbrod turned in another solid effort with 26 digs while Hayden Dailey chipped in with 14 and freshman Karleigh Wilson added 11. The Knights also recorded seven team blocks with Horihan recording five blocks assists and Lange adding four.
 
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