LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In the second ASUN match of the season, the Bellarmine University volleyball team battled until the very end but came up just short in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Lipscomb University on Saturday afternoon at Knights Hall.
 
The Knights secured the first set 25-21 before Lipscomb rallied to take sets two and three 25-20 and 25-17 respectively. Bellarmine bounced back and took the fourth set 25-23 before falling 15-11 in the fifth set.
 
With the loss, Bellarmine moves to 4-8 on the year, 1-1 in conference play. The win improves Lipscomb's record to 5-8 overall, 2-0 in league action.
 
For the Knights, sophomore Natalie Bland once again led the attack, tallying 12 kills in the match, adding six digs. Fifth-year senior Addison Foote was the only other Knight to record double-digit kills, turning in 10 with five digs and an assist. Senior Anna Purichia and sophomore Erika Smith tallied nine kills each while Purichia also contributed three blocks, an assist and a dig with Smith adding three blocks. Junior Kylie Van Hoy paced the offense with 34 assists, her sixth straight game with 30+ assists and ninth overall. In addition, Van Hoy added six digs, five kills, one block and one ace. Freshman Payton Parsons led the defensive effort for Bellarmine, recording 12 digs while grad student Mara Perry was right behind with 11 of her own. Parsons also tallied five assists while Perry contributed four assists, a kill and an ace.
 
Set 1
Set one opened with Lipscomb on top as the Bisons took an early 4-1 lead. The Bisons maintained control through the first third of the set, owning a five-point lead at 12-7. From there, a kill by Foote spurred a Bellarmine run as the Knights went on to score seven straight points to overcome the deficit and take a 14-12 lead before winning the race to 15, entering the media timeout up 15-13. After taking its first timeout, Lipscomb scratched back, turning in a 3-0 run to even the score 18-18, but Bellarmine answered with a 3-0 run of its own to retake the lead, 21-18. The Knights pushed their lead to 23-20 as they forced Lipscomb to call its final timeout. The Bisons took the first point out of the break, but Bellarmine ultimately secured the win, 25-21.
 
Set 2
In set two, Bellarmine jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but it wouldn't last as the Bisons tied it up shortly after. From there, neither team could find an edge as they traded points back-and-forth. With the stanza tied 12-12, the Knights we're able to find a groove and used a 3-1 run to enter the media timeout with a 15-13 lead. Out of the break, Lipscomb went on the attack as the Bisons jumped in front 20-17 as Bellarmine used its first timeout. The Knights came out of the break re-energized, scoring the first two points to cut the deficit to one, down 20-19, as Lipscomb called its first timeout. The Knights carried momentum out of the break, scoring the first point but the script flipped quickly as Lipscomb rallied for a 5-0 run to claim the set 25-20.
 
Set 3
The Knights found themselves in a hole once again to start the third set, down 8-3 early. Bellarmine rallied though, scoring four straight points to get back within one at 8-7. After the surge, the Bisons regained control and carried its momentum into the media break with a 15-11 lead. From there, match went back-and-forth, but the Knights were never able to sustain a rally long enough, eventually falling 25-17.
 
Set 4
Set four was do or die for the Knights and they knew it. After Lipscomb took an early 2-0 lead, Bellarmine re-focused and used a 4-0 run to surge ahead 6-3. With Lipscomb trying to mount a rally, the Knights turned in another three-point run to extend their lead to five, up 10-5 before another 3-0 run put them up 13-6 and forced the Bisons to call their first timeout. Lipscomb scored two of the first three points out of the break, but it wasn't enough of a run to keep Bellarmine from winning the race to 15 with a seven-point lead, up 15-8. The Knights maintained control late into the stanza, holding a four-point lead at 23-19 when they decided to call a timeout. The Bisons wouldn't down without a fight, pushing Bellarmine to the end. The Knights were ultimately able to pull out the win by a 25-23 score.
 
Set 5
Bellarmine scored the first point of the final set, but it was all Lipscomb early as the Bisons took a commanding 7-1 lead. Down 10-2, the Knights fought back, scoring three straight points to get within five, down 10-5. From there, Bellarmine and Lipscomb traded the next six points as the Bisons continued to inch closer to a win with a 13-8 lead. The Knights scored the next two points to cut the deficit to three, down 13-10 before a hitting error set Lipscomb up with match point. A Bison serving error kept Bellarmine in the game, down 14-11 but a final Knights service error sealed the set 15-11 with Lipscomb taking the 3-2 victory.
 
Up next, Bellarmine looks ahead to its first ASUN road games of the season as the Knights travel to Conway, AR on October 4^th and Florence, AL on October 6^th for matches against Central Arkansas and North Alabama.
 
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