BOWLING GREEN, Ky.—While the Bellarmine University volleyball team waited a long time to play its first NCAA Division 1 match, it sure didn't have to wait too long to capture its first win.
 
After seeing their fall season postponed by the pandemic, the Knights made their D1 debut in a neutral site game in Bowling Green, Ky., on Sunday afternoon and promptly swept the Mercer Bears for a 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-14, 25-18).  Bellarmine got a balanced scoring attack and a strong service match from senior libero Karleigh Wilson, who notched six aces.
 
Offensively, sophomore Hannah Brown led the charge for Bellarmine with 12 kills while swinging at a .400 hitting percentage. Four different Knights tallied six or more kills with Abbie Oetting ringing up nine, Ashley Price recording eight, and Cincinnati-transfer Chrysanthi Stamatiou adding six in her Bellarmine debut.
 
As a team, Bellarmine hit .229 while limiting the Bears to just .113, and on the defensive end out-blocked Mercer 6-4 and recorded one more dig, 42-41.
 
Junior setter Sam Rickert chalked up a double-double, leading the Knights with 12 digs and setting up 30 kills.
 
Wilson's six service aces rank as the ninth-most in a match in Bellarmine school history and are the most by a Knight since 2013.
 
While the Knights had plenty to celebrate, they didn't have much time for the celebration as they had to go back to the court and face the host Western Kentucky Hilltoppers just two hours after their historic victory.
 
In the nightcap, the Hilltoppers—who were 32-2 in the 2019 season—showed that they are again one of the nation's top teams by sweeping the Knights 25-11, 25-20, 25-19. 
 
The hosts hit better than .400 as a team, led by Paige Briggs with a match-high 13 kills and a .522 attack percentage.
 
Bellarmine managed a few bright spots in the loss. Perhaps the most encouraging for Coach Jenni Grzebin was the fight the team showed.  After being more or less dominated in the first set, the Knights fought back to be competitive in the final two stanzas. 
 
Hitting at a negative percentage in the first, Bellarmine rebounded to hit .222 in the second and .154 in the final set. Overall, the Hilltoppers "outkilled" the Knights 50-32 while making 13 fewer errors.
 
Another bright spot for Bellarmine was the play of sophomore outside hitter Jayme Scott.  The 2019 Midwest Region Freshman of the Year saw limited action due to an injury but posted five kills in just 10 attacks.  Stefanon paced the Bellarmine offense with seven kills while Brown and Price had six apiece.
 
On defense, Wilson was the only Knight with double-digit digs, recording 14 against the Hilltoppers.
 
Bellarmine returns to action on Saturday when the Knights make their home debut in a 1 p.m. match against Grzebin's alma mater, Xavier.  With COVID protocols in place, only 265 fans will be allowed to attend games in person at Knights Hall this year. Tickets will be sold on day of game only to eliminate "no shows." Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $4 for children (17 and under).
 
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