FORT WAYNE, In. – The Bellarmine University volleyball team capped of its final weekend of non-conference play with a thrilling five-set victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday morning at the Gates Sports Center.

After falling in the first set (14-25), the Knights (6-6) rallied for wins in sets two (25-15) and three (25-18) before the Mastodons (2-8) evened the match with a win in set four (16-25). Bellarmine got the job done in the fifth (15-10) to head into ASUN play with an even .500 record.

Junior Natalie Bland led the Bellarmine offense with 18 kills, adding nine digs, four assists and ace to her line. Freshman Abby Julius was the only other Knight in double-digits, notching 15 kills in addition to six digs, four aces and a block. Senior Kylie Van Hoy posted her third double-double of the year, recording 35 assists and 10 digs while adding five kills and four blocks. Defensively, Payton Parsons led the team with 14 digs while junior Erika Smith registered a team-best five blocks.

Set 1
Coming off its home opening win, Purdue Fort Wayne started with a buzz and jumped out to a 7-3 lead. Bellarmine fought back and evened the score at 10-10 but a 3-0 run by the Mastodons forced BU to call its first timeout, down 13-10. Out of the break, Purdue Fort Wayne continued to push the pace, running up a 17-11 lead as the Knights used their final timeout. From there, the Knights were only able to score a few more points as the Mastodons took set one 25-14.

Set 2
The Knights bounced back in the second stanza and jumped out to a 7-3 lead of its own, forcing Purdue Fort Wayne to call an early timeout. Bellarmine maintained control through the middle of the set, holding on to a 15-9 as the Mastodons used their final timeout. Out of the break, it was all BU as the Knights poured on the points, leading to a comfortable 25-15 set two victory, tying the match at 1-1.

Set 3
Bellarmine carried its momentum through the intermission, sprinting ahead 5-2 in the third as the Mastodons once again called an early timeout. Purdue Fort Wayne scratched across a few points out of the break but the Knights continued to put on the pressure as they increased their lead to six, up 13-7, as the Mastodons called their final timeout of the stanza. Purdue Fort Wayne found something in its second timeout as the Mastodons clawed their way back into the set, cutting the Bellarmine lead to four at 18-14. Bellarmine scored the next two points though, pushing the lead back to six at 20-14. The Mastodons continued their fight, getting back withing three, down 21-18 as BU used its first timeout. The break was exactly what the Knights needed as they came out on the attack, scoring four straight points thanks to a kill, back-to-back aces and a block to secure the third game 25-18 and take a 2-1 match lead.

Set 4
Despite the ending to the third set, Purdue Fort Wayne came out swinging in the fourth, taking a 3-1 lead. Bellarmine quickly tied the game at 4-4 but a 5-1 run by the Mastodons put the Knights back in a hole as they called their first timeout. Purdue Fort Wayne continued its attack out of the break, scoring three straight points to extend its lead to 12-5 and force Bellarmine to call its final timeout of the set. The Mastodons pushed their lead to eight, up 16-8 before Bellarmine turned in a 4-2 run to get within six, down 18-12, and force Purdue Fort Wayne to call a timeout. BU continued to fight its way back, cutting the deficit down to four at 19-15, but a late 4-0 run by Purdue Fort Wayne pushed the Mastodons ahead 23-15 before they finally secured the set 25-16, forcing a fifth set.

Set 5
Bellarmine came out guns blazing in the fifth and final set, bursting out to a 4-0 lead and forcing Purdue Fort Wayne to use an early timeout. The Mastodons finally got on the board out of the break, scoring three straight points to make it 4-3. From there, Bellarmine maintained its lead at 8-6 when the two teams switched sides. Purdue Fort Wayne got close, down 9-8, before the Knights turned in a 4-1 run to jump out in front 13-9 as the Mastodons used their final timeout of the match. Out of the break, the Knights secured the final two points they needed to win the set 15-10 and take the match 3-2.

Up next, Bellarmine will open its Atlantic Sun Conference schedule as the Knights return home for the first time in a month to host Eastern Kentucky on Friday, September 26 at Knights Hall.

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