LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine volleyball team dropped a tight, five-set match to visiting McKendree University on Friday night in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match in Knights Hall.
 
The Bearcats didn't lead in the match until the final set as the Knights claimed sets one and three.  However, McKendree never gave in and clawed to win 21-25, 52-22, 19-25, 25-23, 15-11. 
 
The match was so close that Bellarmine actually ended the night with one more point that the Bearcats. Both teams finished with 69 kills, but each team had its own downfall.  For the Knights, it was attack errors, which numbered 25—thanks in large part to nine McKendree blocks.  The Achilles heel for the Bearcats was the service game where they made 12 errors.
 
The loss overshadowed an excellent effort from Bellarmine freshman Jayme Scott, who set a new career high and led all hitters with 24 kills while adding 13 digs.   Abbie Oetting also had a solid stat line for the Knights with 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .407. Also reaching double-digit kills for Bellarmine were Abbie Stafanon with 12 and Hannah Brown with 10.
 
A total of eight players recorded 10 or more kills as four McKendree players also reached that level with Kelly Voss's 16 kills pacing the Bearcats. McKendree made just 13 attack errors and hit at a .348 clip for the match.
 
Bellarmine setter Kristen O'Toole doled out 58 assists on the night while McKendree's Macy Tongate and Gracie Marr handed out 31 apiece.  The Knights held a 73-68 edge in digs with Bellarmine libero Karleigh Wilson matching her uniform number with 19 to lead all players.
 
The Knights fall to 15-8 overall and 5-3 in conference play while the Bearcats move to 12-11, 4-4 GLVC.
 
Bellarmine returns to action on Saturday at 3 p.m., when the Knights host Southern Indiana.
 
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