LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University volleyball team begins its 2024 season this weekend with a trip to Normal, Il. as the Knights are set to compete in the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic and will face off against Lindenwood, Central Michigan and host Illinois State.
 
Bellarmine officially kicks off its season on Friday, August 30 at 4:30 p.m. ET against the Lindenwood Lions. The weekend will conclude on Saturday, August 31 with a doubleheader as the Knights are set to take on host Illinois State at 12 p.m. ET and Central Michigan at 4:30 p.m. ET.
 
Last season, head coach Rick Nold led the Knights to a 9-20 record and ended the season with an ASUN Tournament berth. This season marks Nold's third at the helm of Bellarmine and his 21^st overall as a head coach.
 
The Knights are 21-27 all-time in season opening games and are 16-22 when starting on the road or at a neutral site. Since transitioning to Division I in 2020, Bellarmine is 1-3 in its season openers. The last time Bellarmine won its first game of the year was a 3-0 win over Mercer in a neutral site game in 2020. This season will mark the ninth consecutive year Bellarmine will open the season with a neutral site matchup.
 
Bellarmine boasts an even split of experience on its roster this season with eight lower and eight upper classman each. This year's roster features four freshman, four sophomores, three juniors, three seniors, one fifth year and one grad student. Along with the four freshmen, the Knights also brought in three transfers to the program.
 
Among the returners for the Knights are key players in junior Kylie Van Hoy and sophomores Natalie Bland and Maddie Hagan. Bland and Hagan enter their sophomore season after turning in productive freshman years with the Knights. Bland was named ASUN Freshman of the Week twice in 2023 and led the Knights in points per set (3.04) while ranking second in digs per set (2.17) and kills per set (2.61), third in kills (183) and digs (152) and fourth in blocks (26.0) and points (213.0). Hagan earned a single ASUN Freshman of the week nod while also being honored on the ASUN All-Freshman team after leading Bellarmine in blocks (63.0), blocks per set (0.77) and attack percentage (.245) while also ranking third points (216.0) and fourth in kills (165) and aces (16). Van Hoy was a workhorse for the Knights in 2023, aiding the team in every way possible as she earned an Academic All-ASUN in a season where she ranked second on the Knights in kills (186), kills per set (2.04), assists (326), assists per set (3.58), blocks (tied, 35.0) and points (220.0) while adding 129 digs and 14 aces.
 
About the field
 
Lindenwood turned in a 16-15 (11-7 OVC) record in 2023 and ended the season with an Ohio Valley Conference Championship run. The Lions were picked to finish fifth in the OVC preseason poll after finishing fourth last year. In addition, Lindenwood landed two players on the Preseason All-OVC team in senior Nyah Wilson and fifth-year Jessie Seidel were selected after both received Second Team All-OVC honors last season. Wilson was second on the team with 334 kills and 365 digs, adding 33.0 blocks and 32 aces while making the start in all 31 games in 2023. Wilson turned in 16 double-doubles last season as she racked up a new career-high in kills. Seidel, Lindenwood's NCAA digs leader with 1,709, turned in the third most digs in the conference last year with 595, adding 158 assists and 51 aces while also appearing in all 31 games for the Lions last year. Along with Lindenwood's leading duo, grad-student Allie Otten was named to the 2024 OVC Players to Watch list. Otten enters her sixth season of collegiate volleyball, her fifth at Lindenwood, and was the primary setter for the Lions in 2023, posting 842 assists while adding 308 digs and 26 aces. Bellarmine and Lindenwood have faced off twice before, both in Bellarmine's Division II era. The Knights are 1-1 all-time against the Lions after losing their most recent match 3-1 in St. Charles, MO on November 11, 2019.
 
Central Michigan turned in a 15-15 (9-9 MAC) record last season and the year on a high note, defeating Eastern Michigan 3-2. The Chippewas were picked to finish seventh in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll after finishing seventh in the league in 2023. CMU boasts an experienced roster, returning 12 players from last season while adding four freshmen and a transfer to fill out the 2024 squad. Among the returners for Central Michigan are some of the team's top hitters in 2023 in seniors Krystina Kasson, Linnea Willer and Lauren Schrock. Kasson led the Chippewas with 218 kills while Schrock turned in 216 and Willer added 159. The right-side duo of Kasson and Schrock combined for 434.5 points and were good for 5.6 points per set. Senior Aly Gurtiza returns for her fourth season as Central Michigan's libero and holds the record for most digs in a single season with 637 as a sophomore while her 534 digs as a junior rank seventh and her 533 as a freshman rank eighth. The Knights and Chippewas will face off for the first time in program history when they meet this weekend.
 
Illinois State went 12-19 (10-8 MVC) in 2023 and ended the season with a bid to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. The Redbirds were picked to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll and received a vote to finish first. Junior Aida Shadewald was named preseason All-MVC after earning a First-Team All-MVC nod in 2023. Shadewald led Illinois State with 384 kills last season and her kill total ranked 11^th most in school history for a single season. She also led the Redbirds with 36 aces, the 12^th most in a single season in school history. In addition to her team accolades, Shadewald finished in the top 10 for both points per set and kills per set in the MVC last season. Illinois State features a new look roster in 2024, bringing in 11 new players to the program, six of which are freshman. Bellarmine and Illinois State will face off for the first time in program history when they meet this weekend.
 
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