ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Bellarmine volleyball opened its first road trip of the season on Friday, playing two matches in the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, hosted by UNC Asheville. The Knights opened the event with a loss in both matches on the day, falling to UNC Asheville 3-0 (22-25, 23-25, 23-25) and 3-2 (19-25, 25-28, 25-26, 25-27, 13-15) to Western Carolina in Harrah's Cherokee Center.
Despite the two losses, there is still plenty to celebrate for the Knights.
Senior
Erika Smith became the first player in the Division I era to record 150 career blocks. Smith recorded three blocks in the first match against UNC Asheville before securing two more, one more than needed, against Western Carolina.
Additionally, senior
Natalie Bland and freshman
Mady Yaden became the first pair of Knights to record 20+ kills each in the same match in the Division I era when they did so against Western Carolina. Yaden set a new career-high with 23 kills in the match, becoming the first player not named
Natalie Bland to record 20+ kills in a match since
Kylie Van Hoy tallied 21 on September 29, 2023. Bland turned in 22 kills on the night, her sixth career match with 20+. Bland, along with junior
Payton Parsons, also became the first pair of Knights to record 20+ digs in the same match in the Division I era, putting up 23 and 29 digs, respectively, against Western Carolina.
Finally, freshman
Maddie Carnes set a new career-high with 59 assists in the Western Carolina match, becoming the first Knight to dish out 50+ assists in a match since Emily Arnold recorded 52 against Austin Peay on September 23, 2022.
In the first match against UNC Asheville, Bland led the way with a match-high 12 kills in addition to 11 digs and three blocks. Carnes dished out 27 assists, adding 15 digs. Parsons collected 16 digs in the action while Smith carded three blocks.
Bellarmine came out of the gates hot, forcing the Bulldogs to use an early timeout. The break was beneficial however as UNC Asheville charged right back into the match. The Knights held on to a tight lead for a while, but UNC Asheville made a late push to overtake the lead and hold on for the set one win. The second set was similar to start as BU took an early lead, but the Bulldogs held tough and jumped ahead at the midway point. Bellarmine made a late push, retaking the lead, but UNC Asheville would not be denied, vaulting back in front for a second set victory. The third set was much tighter to begin with. The Bulldogs took the first substantial lead in the stanza and held on for the rest of the way. Bellarmine battled for a late one-point lead, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs would go on to win the set for the sweep.
In the second match, Yaden led the offense with 23 kills, followed closely by Bland with 22. The duo hit .224 (23-8-67) and .230 (22-8-61) respectively, while Bland contributed 23 digs, three assists, two aces and a block. Carnes turned in 59 assists and, 12 digs, five kills and an ace. Parsons registered 29 digs while freshman
Mary Herman recorded five blocks in addition to 10 kills and an ace.
Western Carolina had BU's number in the first, taking the first lead and never relinquishing it to take the first set. The Knights bounced back quickly though, putting together a late run to win the second set while taking control early in the third and running away with it for a 2-1 lead in the match. In the fourth, Bellarmine battled from behind early, staying tight for most of the stanza. In the end, the Knights had a 24-20 lead but couldn't muster the final point before the Catamounts came from behind and stole the set 27-25 to force a decisive fifth. Bellarmine shot out of the gates in the fifth, but WCU rallied hard and flipped the set on its head after a 12-12 tie, going on for a 15-13 win to take the match 3-2.
Up next, Bellarmine will close out its first road trip with one final match, taking on Jacksonville State on Saturday, September 5 at 1pm in the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X, Instagram and Facebook.
