LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University volleyball team opened its 50^th season on Friday with a pair of matches as the Knights hosted their annual Bellarmine Classic, presented by Hilton Garden Inn.

BU (1-1) opened the day with an exciting 3-0 victory over Indiana State before dropping the second match of the day 3-0 to Miami (OH).

"Overall, I really loved the way we came out in the first match. We were aggressive the whole we and each game we got down, we fought back from it," said head coach Rick Nold. "You learn a lot from those situations. We had different people step all day which was good to see."

The Knights opened their season with a midday contest against Indiana State (1-1). After a back and forth start to the first set, Bellarmine took its first lead at 7-6 thanks to an ISU attack error before tacking on three more points to go up 10-6. From there, the Knights held strong until Indiana State mounted a rally of its own, scoring five straight points to jump in front 15-14 and force a timeout. BU evened the score out of the break as the team's traded points back and forth. Tied at 19-19, Bellarmine charged ahead, using a 6-1 run to close out the set for a 25-20 win. The Sycamores came out hot in the second set, taking an early 7-4 lead. Bellarmine stayed calm however, clawing back for an 11-11 tie and eventual 13-11 lead. From there, the set went back and forth with Indiana State making a late run to take a 20-17 lead. The Knights did not back down however, settling in to even the score again at 21-21. Both teams battled from there, going into extra points where Bellarmine ultimately came out on top 27-25. In yet another back-and-forth affair, set three was dead even at 9-9 before the Sycamores went on a 7-0 tear, forcing the Knights to use both timeouts, to go up 16-9. Just as they had done before, BU stayed in system and made quick work of the lead, turning in five straight points to get back within two, down 16-14 before a second 5-0 run put Bellarmine back in front 19-18. Both teams traded points, staying even at 23-23. The Knights came alive to score the final two points, clinching a 25-23 set win and a 3-0 sweep in their first match of the season.

Junior Natalie Bland picked up right where she left off last season, leading the Knights with 11 kills, adding eight digs and two aces. Fellow junior Erika Smith was second on the team, turning in 10 kills on 20 swings for a red-hot .450 attack percentage. She also contributed three blocks and a dig in the match. Sophomore Mya White and freshman Mary Herman both made contributions in their collegiate debuts, recording seven and six kills, respectively. White added five digs and a block to her line while Herman tallied two aces, two blocks and a dig.

In match two against the Miami Redhawks, Bellarmine battled from start to finish but couldn't bring home a win. Miami started well and pushed the pace in all three sets, ultimately taking the match 3-0 (19-25, 21-25, 22-25). BU had its best chance at claiming a set late in the third, holding on to a 21-20 lead. The Redhawks put the threat to rest however, going on a 5-1 run to close out the match.

Bland turned in a match high 18 kills against Miami (2-0), hitting at a .306 clip. She added nine digs and two blocks on the night, finishing with 19.5 points. Freshman Abby Julius tallied eight kills in the match, second most on the team in her first collegiate action, adding three digs, an ace and a block in her debut. Mary Herman, another freshman added six kills, five digs and a block on the night. Smith continued her early success from the first match, tallying seven kills on a .286 attack percentage while also notching two blocks.

"Defensively, we were really strong both games. Miami did a great job putting pressure on us from the service line," Nold said. "We saw some things today we know we can work at and get better on."

Up next, Bellarmine will close out its first weekend of play with one final match in Knights Hall, taking on SIUE on Saturday, August 30 at 2 pm E.T.
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