LOUISVILLE, Ky.—For the second match in a row Bellarmine played a hard-fought five-setter, but this time the Knights couldn't pull it out as the visiting Austin Peay Governors claimed the victory (12-25, 26-24, 25-21, 24-26, 15-12) in the ASUN Conference opener for both teams.
Bellarmine came out on fire and rolled to a 13-point win the first set. However, the Governors were resilient, fighting off a Knights' set point in the second set to square the match with a 26-24 win. In the third frame Austin Peay opened up an 18-11 lead only to see the Knights fight back with a 7-0 run. However, Bellarmine was never able to take the lead, and the Governors hung on for the 25-21 win.
The fourth set was close throughout with APSU inching out to a 24-23 lead, but Bellarmine staved off the match point and scored three straight to force a set five. The tie-breaker saw Austin Peay jump out to an 8-4 advantage, and the Knights simply couldn't break through as APSU served up several timely aces to keep Bellarmine at bay to win 15-11.
"It was a hard-fought game by both teams," said Bellarmine Coach
Rick Nold, "but in the end, they made a few more plays at crucial times. I love the way we keep fighting, and we know that will pay off."
Bellarmine out-hit the Governors for the match, recording 65 kills to just 60 for APSU, and hit at a higher percentage .234 to .187. Austin Peay made up the difference on the block and at the service line, totaling 14 team blocks and 11 service aces in the match.
The Knights got another big effort from
Jayme Scott, who recorded a double-double with 20 kills and 14 digs. Bellarmine setter
Emily Arnold also notched a double-double, doling out 52 assists and coming up with 10 digs. Other offensive leaders included
Kylie VanHoy and
Hannah Brown with 15 and 13 kills respectively. Bellarmine middle
Jayda Harris also was productive with nine kills on just 17 swings (.412).
Marlayna Bullington was APSU's leading hitter with 16 kills while Maggie Keenan led the Governors with seven assisted blocks.
Defensively, both liberos had strong outings with Bellarmine's
Anna Lococo coming up with a match-high 24 digs while APSU's Erin Eisenhart came up 22.
Bellarmine has a quick turnaround as Lipscomb visits Knights Hall at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Bisons (5-8, 1-0 ASUN) swept Eastern Kentucky on Friday night.
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