LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine volleyball team shrugged off a sluggish start to challenge the visitors from Murray State, but the Racers pulled out a 3-1 victory in the final match of the 2023 Bellarmine Volleyball Classic presented by Hilton Garden Inn and Suites on Saturday afternoon in Knights Hall.
 
After dropping the first 25-15, the Knights came back to make it a tight match, falling 25-23 in set two, winning set three 25-22, then seeing a late Murray rally pull out the fourth set 25-21 for the Racers.
 
Today's contest was essentially the championship of the Classic as both Bellarmine and Murray won both of their matches yesterday in the round-robin event.  The match had a championship feel as the teams squared off with numerous lengthy rallies and tremendous hustle plays.
 
Bellarmine Coach Rick Nold liked what he saw out of his Knights today.  "It's the not the result we wanted, but I was really encouraged by what we saw throughout the weekend," he said. "Every player made an important contribution, and I think the team as a whole made some really big steps."
 
The Bellarmine attack was once again led by freshman Natalie Bland and senior Bailey Venard, who both registered 16 kills on the day.  Bland notched her second career double-double by adding 12 digs while Venard recorded her third match of the season hitting over .300, attacking at a .324 clip today. Helping set up the attack, Mara Perry had her best performance as a Knight.  The Virginia Tech transfer doled out a team-high 29 assists. 
 
On defense, senior Anna Lococo continued to put up solid numbers, coming up with 21 digs on the day. The Bellarmine block also had some success with a team block advantage of 8-5 with freshman Maddie Hagan helping on four of those blocks to lead the way for the Knights.
 
Murray (5-1) was fueled by Darci Metzger, who had a big day with 24 kills and a .486 hitting percentage. Setter Bailey DeMier handed out 52 assists in today's match while libero Dahlia Miller recorded 29 digs.  That trio of Racers all earned All-Tournament team honors with Metzger being named MVP.
 
For Bellarmine, Bland and Lococo were both named to the All-Tournament team along with Ola Filip of New Orleans and Abby Bednar of Southern Indiana.
 
The Knights (2-4) now hit the road for back-to-back tourneys at Xavier and Kansas.   Their next opponent will be the University of Missouri on Friday, Sept. 8 at Xavier.
 
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