EDWARDSVILLE, Il. – The Bellarmine University volleyball team came out hot in day one of the SIUE Cougar Class, winning its first match of the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Murray State. The Knights battled in part two of the doubleheader, but were unable to come away with the win, falling 3-1 to Chattanooga.
 
Playing in the opening match of the SIUE Cougar Classic, Bellarmine bounced back from a two-match losing streak with a handed sweep of Murray State. The Knights were on fire on the attack in the match, hitting .330 as a team. BU was led by sophomore Maddie Hagan with 14 kills and a red-hot .737 hitting percentage. Hagan's swing rate is good for the sixth highest mark in a three set Division I volleyball match (15-19 attempts) this season and the fifth highest mark in a match in program history. Fellow sophomore Natalie Bland was second on the Knights with nine kills, adding nine digs, two blocks and an ace to her line. Junior Kylie Van Hoy once again paced the Knights offense, recording 35 assists in the match, contributing six kills, four digs, three blocks and two aces as she stuffed the stat sheet. The duo of grad student Mara Perry and freshman Payton Parsons has become one to watch on the defensive end as Perry racked up 13 digs in the match, followed closely by Parsons with 11.
 
With the win, Bellarmine improves its overall record to 2-5 on the season while the loss moves Murray State to 3-4 on the season.
 
Match 1 vs. Murray State
Set 1
After jumping out to a quick 2-1 lead, Bellarmine struggled to contain Murray State's offense as the Racers piled on five straight points to overtake the Knights 7-3. BU followed the run with a 3-0 run of its own, cutting the deficit to one, down 7-6 before taking two of the next three points to even the score 8-8. Murray turned around and went back on the attack, scoring another four consecutive points to retake the lead 12-8 as Bellarmine called its first timeout of the set. The Knights came out of the break rejuvenated, scoring three of the first four points to get back within two, still down 13-11. From there, neither team was able to gain an edge, trading points until the Racers called a timeout with a 19-16 lead. The break proved beneficial for the Knights though, as Bellarmine scored five of the first six points, including a 4-0 run, to jump back in front 21-20. Murray State scratched back, scoring back-to-back points to go up 22-21 before the Knights retied the stanza 22-22. The Racers didn't stay long however, ripping off another two points to go up 24-22 as Bellarmine used its final timeout of the game. Once again, the Knights benefited from the break, scoring back-to-back points to even the score yet again at 24-24, forcing Murray State to call its final timeout. Bellarmine would not be denied though, scoring the final two points to secure a 26-24 victory and go up 1-0.
 
Set 2
The second set started in similar fashion to the end of the first as Bellarmine and Murray State traded points early. With the stanza tied 5-5, the Knights turned up the heat, scoring six of eight points, highlighted by a 3-0 run, to vault themselves to an 11-7 lead and force the Racers to use their first timeout. Murray flipped the script following the break, turning in a 5-0 run to overtake the Knights and jump in front with a 15-14 lead. Bellarmine scored the next point to stop the run and even the score 15-15, but another two straight points from Murray State forced BU's hand as the Knights used their first timeout of the set. Bellarmine went on the offensive out of the break, scoring four of the first five points to retake the lead at 19-18. The Racers continued to fight, scoring back-to-back points to go up 20-19. The Knights once again tied the stanza at 20-20 before Murray recorded another kill to go up 21-20. Bellarmine really turned up the pressure then, ripping off three straight points to jump back in front 23-21 as Murray State called its final timeout of the set. The Racers scored the first point out of the break but couldn't keep up the rally as the Knights claimed the final two points to secure the 25-22 win and go up 2-0.
 
Set 3
Murray State came out ready to fight in set three, taking an early 3-1 lead. The Racers continued to maintain control, holding on to a 7-5 lead as Bellarmine tried to find its footing. The Knights finally found an edge, scoring four of five points to take their first lead of the set, 9-8. From there, the Knights and Racers battled for position, unable to take control for long. Bellarmine won the race to 15 thanks to a Murray State service area as the Knights took a 15-13 lead into the media timeout. BU maintained control out of the break, slowly growing its lead to four, up 20-16 as the Racers called their first timeout of the set. The break proved fruitful for Murray as the Racers took four of five points to get back within one as Bellarmine called its first timeout, holding on to a late 21-20 lead. The break was exactly what the Knights needed as they came out on a roll, scoring the final four points they need to secure the set 25-22 and complete the sweep 3-0.
 
A different version of the Knights showed up in match two of the day as Bellarmine was unable to get much offense going against Chattanooga. BU hit just .160 as a team in the match, tallying 26 hitting errors. Hagan however, turned in another solid performance, racking up 12 kills on a .290 hitting percentage, adding a block. Fifth-year senior Addison Foote matched Hagan on the attack, recording 12 kills of her own while tallying 10 digs for her first double-double as a Bellarmine Knight. Van Hoy tallied 40 assists in the match, just one shy of tying her career-high set earlier this season. She also recorded double-digit digs, putting up 12 for her third double-double of the season. Perry, who has shown great effort on defense all season, turned in a career-high 23 digs in the match, topping her previous mark of 20 set earlier this season.
 
With the loss, Bellarmine moves to 2-6 on the season. The win improves Chattanooga's record to 7-3 on the year.
 
Match 2 vs. Chattanooga
Set 1
Coming off a loss in the morning session, Chattanooga came out in furry in the first set. The Mocs swung early and often, jumping out to an 11-5 lead thanks to a 3-0 and 4-0 run as the Knights called their first timeout of the set. Chattanooga continued to push the pace, scoring the first three points out of the break and six of seven points to extend the lead to 17-6 as Bellarmine was forced to use its final timeout of the stanza. Bellarmine was able to put together a three-point run of its own late in the set, but the damage was done as Chattanooga pulled away, 25-11.
 
Set 2
The Knights started the second set strong, tallying the first point via ace. BU continued to hold an early lead, up three at 7-4, before Chattanooga regained its composure and went on the attack, scoring six of eight points, including four straight, to jump out in front 10-8 and force Bellarmine to use its first timeout. The Mocs continued to pour on the points out of the break, scoring six of eight points yet again to extend their lead to five at 16-11 as the Knights called their final timeout of the stanza. Once again, Chattanooga pushed the pace with a 4-0 run to go up 20-11 before trading points with Bellarmine until the Mocs finally took the win 25-17.
 
Set 3
After a back-and-forth start, Bellarmine took control early in set three. A 4-0 run put the Knights up 7-3 but BU didn't stop there, putting together a second 4-0 run right after to extend the lead to 11-4 and force Chattanooga to call a timeout. The Knights continued to pressure Chattanooga out of the break, scoring the first two points to go up 13-4. The Mocs regained some control shortly after, stringing together five straight points to cut the lead in half as Bellarmine was up five at 17-12. BU answered the run with one of its own, ripping off four straight points to extend the lead back to nine, up 21-12 as the Mocs used their final timeout of the stanza. Both teams traded points until Bellarmine closed out the set 25-16 to keep the match alive.
 
Set 4
Despite momentum going against them into the set, Chattanooga came out ready to play, taking an early 6-2 lead. The Knights battled back, getting back within two, down 8-6, before Chattanooga railed off three more points to go back up five at 11-6 as the Knights called their first timeout. The Mocs took the first point out of the break, but Bellarmine answered with a 3-0 run to cut the deficit back to three down 12-9. Chattanooga however would not take its foot off the gas, scoring another three straight points to go up 19-15 and force BU to use its final timeout of the stanza. Chattanooga took the first two points following the break before trading points back-and-forth. Down 23-14, Bellarmine tried to rally one last time, scoring three straight points to get within six at 23-17, but the rally was too late as the Mocs took the final two points for a 25-17 win.