LOUISVILLE, Ky.—It was a successful home opener for the Bellarmine volleyball team as the Knights won a pair of four-set matches on the opening day of the Bellarmine Invitational at Knights Hall on Friday, downing Virginia State and Christian Brothers.
 
Bellarmine's first match of the day (at 2 p.m.) was against Virginia State, and the Knights sailed to an easy victory in the opening set, 25-10.  Set two, however, was a complete reversal of fortunes as the Trojans trounced Bellarmine 25-16.  Then, there was another 180-degree shift in momentum as the Knights won another runaway 25-12.  The fourth set saw more competitive action with Bellarmine holding off VSU 25-20 to win the match.
 
Sophomore Bailey Roszman came up big for the Knights both offensively and defensively, leading the team with 12 kills and 14 digs.  Freshman Jayme Scott continued her solid start by adding 11 kills, 10 digs and five service aces.
 
The Knights came back at 7 p.m. to take on the Buccaneers of Christian Brothers.  The visitors outlasted Bellarmine 25-22 in the opening set, but the Knights came back to claim the final three sets including a convincing 25-11 win to close out the match in the fourth set.
 
Four different Knights reached double digits in kills: Scott, 13; Abbie Oetting, 12; Hannah Brown, 11; and Ashley Price, 10.  Meanwhile sophomore setter Sam Rickert turned in a career-high 43 assists while Karleigh Wilson and Emily Ernst led the defensive effort with 17 and 12 digs respectively.
 
With the wins, Bellarmine improves to 4-2 on the season.
 
The Knights close the Bellarmine Invitational with two more matches on Saturday, facing Minnesota State at 2 p.m. and closing the tourney with a 7 p.m. match with Tiffin.
 
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).
 
HTM BOX SCORE-Va. State
 
HTM BOX SCORE-Christian Bros.