FORT WAYNE, In. – Bellarmine volleyball opened its final MTE weekend with a 1-1 split on the day as the Knights took down Mercyhurst 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-15) in the morning session before falling to Toledo 3-0 (16-25, 23-25, 24-26) later in the day at the Gates Sports Center.

With the split, the Knights move to 5-6 on the season.

In match one on the day, Bellarmine came out swinging and never let off the gas. The Knights raced ahead in the opening set, using a 5-0 run to take jump ahead 8-3. From there, BU never looked back, extending the lead as high as 10 points before claiming the stanza 25-16. Bellarmine carried momentum into the second set, once again jumping ahead to an early lead.  The Knights continued to push the pace, opening a nine-point lead at 20-11 before closing out the game 25-17. Out of the intermission, Bellarmine went right back to work, taking the lead with an opening 3-0 run and never looking back. Mercyhurst stayed competitive through the middle of the set, but Bellarmine rolled on, pushing ahead by 12 at 22-10 before finally completing the sweep with a 24-15 victory.

Freshman Abby Julius was the star of the match, racking up a mind-boggling nine service aces, tying her for third most aces in a single match in program history. Julius also notched 11 kills in the match, second most on the team, while hitting .292 and adding five digs.

Junior Natalie Bland led the Knights' offense with 12 eliminations, adding eight digs, three blocks, an assist and an ace. Fellow junior Erika Smith rounded out the trio of Knights in double figures, tallying 10 kills with three blocks, three digs and an assist. Sophomore Payton Parsons led defensive effort with 14 digs in addition to four assists and two aces while senior Kylie Van Hoy paced the offense with 37 assists, seven digs and four kills.

As a team, the Knights hit an efficient .288 while limiting Mercyhurst to a .188 hitting percentage. In total, Bellarmine turned in 12 aces to the Lakers one while both teams committed eight service errors. Both the Knights and Lakers notched 5.0 blocks in the match with BU out digging Mercyhurst 50-35.

The second match of the day didn't go in the Knights' favor. Both teams fought for an edge to begin the match, but Toledo found it first, using a 6-0 run to take a 15-9 advantage. From there, the Rockets maintained control until they claimed the opening stanza 25-16. Bellarmine opened the second game like a different team, ripping off four straight points for an early lead. Toledo turned a four-point run of its own to even the score at 4-4 but Bellarmine answered right back, retaking the lead 8-4. The Knights continued to control the pace of the set heading into the middle of the set. A late run by Toledo complicated things as the Rockets vaulted themselves into the lead with a 5-0 run to go up 20-18. From there, the Knights battled but fell just short, 25-23. The third set was tight to start as the teams traded points back-and-forth. Bellarmine took the first substantial lead at 17-13 thanks to a 4-0 run. From there it looked as though the Knights would run away with the game, leading 20-15, but Toledo would not go down without a fight, storming back to even the score at 23-23. The Knights tried to hold on for the win, but Toledo finished off the rally with a 26-24 win for a 3-0 match victory.

Bland led the Knights for the second time on the day, this time tallying 11 kills, six digs and a block. Redshirt freshman was second on the team with eight kills, adding a dig and a block. Parsons registered a team-best 13 digs with freshman Lillie Meinhart right behind her with 12 digs in addition to her team-high 23 assists and three blocks.

Up next, Bellarmine will close out its non-conference schedule with one final match tomorrow as the Knights take on Purdue Fort Wayne.

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