BOONE, N.C.—The Bellarmine volleyball team opened its 2023 season on Friday at the Mountaineer Classic hosted by Appalachian State University in the Holmes Convocation Center.  The Knights started with an 11 a.m. match against Tennessee Tech, playing competitively but falling in straight sets before returning to the court for the final match of the day against the host Mountaineers and again suffering a sweep.
 
"The first weekend of the season is always great to see where you are as a team," said Bellarmine Coach Rick Nold.  "We certainly didn't get the results we wanted, but we really think it was a perfect day to learn and get better."
 
One of the positives Nold can take away from today's action is production from his freshmen.  Two different first year players led the team in kills in the matches. Natalie Bland made her collegiate premiere successful by notching 10 kills against the Golden Eagles, and in the nightcap, it was Maddie Hagan leading the Knights with six kills.
 
In the opener, the Knights went toe-to-toe with Tennessee Tech in the first set, but with the score tied 22 apiece, the Golden Eagles took three of the final four points to pull out a 25-23 win.  The second set was a back and forth affair with Bellarmine fighting back from deficits of 0-3 and 4-10 to take leads, but in the end, it was Tennessee Tech that closed with momentum to capture a 25-19 victory. While the final set didn't feature the dramatic lead changes, the outcome was similar in that Tennessee Tech finished on a strong note to complete the sweep with a 25-20 win.
 
While Bland paced the Knights offense with 10 kills, senior Bailey Venard delivered a solid performance with nine kills and hitting .286. Sophomore Tessa Nauert, last year's team leader in service aces, rang up three aces for the Knights while defensively libero Anna Lococo came up with 12 digs to pace BU. Macie Garrison and Mara Perry split setting duties, doling out 12 and 10 assists respectively.
 
Against Appalachian State, the Knights ran into a hot team as the Mountaineers swung at a .322 clip with five different players recording six or more kills.  After App State ran out to 25-15, 25-14 victories in the first two sets, the Knights again showed resilience and led for much of the third set until the Mountaineers closed on an 11-3 run to seal the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
The Knights were paced by Hagan's six kills while Bland and sophomore Gabby Brissett added five apiece. Freshman middle Jess Schmidt made her collegiate debut in the Mountaineer match and led the team with three blocks. Garrison handed out a team-high 15 assists while Perry was the lone Knight in double digit digs with 10.
 
Bellarmine closes play in the tourney on Saturday with an 11 a.m. match against William & Mary. The Tribe went 1-1 on Friday.  Falling in straight sets to Appalachian State and pulling out a five-setter against Tennessee Tech.
 
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