LORETTO, Pa.—It was a historic day for Bellarmine Volleyball. First year head coach Rick Nold recorded  his 300th career victory and his first at Bellarmine as the Knights went 2-0 at the Red Flash Classic, knocking off host Saint Francis and Gardner-Webb, both by scores of 3-1.
 
BELLARMINE 3, SAINT FRANCIS 1 (25-21, 25-14, 15-25, 25-20)

The Knights' 3-1 victory will go down in the Bellarmine record books as win No. 1 in the "Rick Nold Era."

It also will go down as the first win for six Bellarmine newcomers, including sophomore transfer Jayda Harris, who led the way for the Knights.  The Benton, Kentucky native contributed nine kills and four blocks for a team-best 12 points. Junior Anna Lococo paced the back row with a match-high 16 digs, and transfer Macie Garrison notched her first Bellarmine double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs.
 
BELLARMINE 3, GARDNER-WEBB 1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-16, 25-15)
 
After dropping yesterday's season-opening match, Coach Nold expressed disappointment about his team's lack of aggression in the service game. It appears his message was taken to heart as the Knights responded with 12 aces against the Bulldogs.  The 12 aces are the most by a Bellarmine team in the D1 era and the most since the Knights recorded 12 against Lake Superior State on Oct. 18, 2014.  Freshman Tessa Nauert led the way with four aces while senior Emily Ernst added three.
 
Aside from the service game, the Knights had a strong attack game.  Senior Jayme Scott recorded 16 kills while Harris turned in another strong performance with 12 kills on just 16 swings for a hitting percentage of .625.  Freshman Kylie VanHoy added six kills and three assisted blocks while Lococo led the team with 18 digs.
 
"I was really proud of how we responded today," Nold said. "We've talked all preseason about winning the serving/passing battle, and today we were really good in both areas."
 
"I was really happy to see Jayda step up and have a big day for us," Nold said. "She worked really hard in transition and gave us some huge swings throughout the day."
 
Bellarmine stays a little closer to home for its next outing, traveling to Oxford, Ohio for a multi-team event hosted by Miami University on Sept. 2 and 3.  The Knights will take on three "M" teams, facing Marshall and Middle Tennessee on Friday before challenging the host RedHawks on Saturday.
 
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