CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Bellarmine University volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Austin Peay on Saturday night, fueled by dedicated efforts across the court.

After losing the first set 19-25, the Knights rallied to win the next two sets, winning the second 25-19 and the third 28-26. BU took a late lead in the fourth set, but a final rally by the Governors turned Bellarmine on its head and forced a fifth set after a 25-17 loss. The Knights continued to play hard in the fifth period, but were unable to complete the win and lost 12-15.

With the loss, Bellarmine moves to 6-16 on the year and 3-9 in ASUN action, while the win improves Austin Peay to 2-22 on the season and 1-11 in conference play.

The Knights took the lead early and took a 5-2 lead. Bellarmine remained in control until Austin Peay tied the score at 10-10. BU regained the lead shortly thereafter and took a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. After the break, the Governors continued to press and evened the score again at 17-17 before going on a 7-1 run to complete a 25-19 win in the opening set. APSU used the momentum of the win to get going in the second round, taking an early 4-1 lead. The Knights used two 5-0 runs to take a 16-11 lead and force a timeout. From there, BU was able to stay in control and eventually close out the set with a 25-19 win. The third set was hotly contested from the start as neither team was able to gain a lead. With the game tied 6-6, Bellarmine went on offense and scored four straight points, taking a 10-6 lead and forcing a timeout. After the break, BU continued to push the pace and scored three of the first four points. The Knights remained in control late in the set, but a 3-0 run from Austin Peay brought the Govs back to within one point as Bellarmine held on to a 19-18 lead. After a timeout, Bellarmine extended its lead back to three at 21-18, but APSU was unable to break through and tied the game at 23-23. From then on, the teams traded points back and forth and fought for position. After a 26-26 tie, Bellarmine finally pulled away with back-to-back points to secure the set 28-26. Austin Peay came into play again in the fourth round and took a 5-1 lead. Bellarmine didn't stay down long, however, and used a five-point run to tie the score at 7-7. The Governors responded with a run of their own to take the lead 10-7. Austin Peay continued to control the stanza until Bellarmine was able to tie the score at 14-14 before winning the race to 15. From there, the Knights took control and extended their lead to 20-17. BU maintained its lead late in the set and held a 24-20 lead when Austin Peay called a timeout. The break proved fruitful for the Governors as they came out and turned the set on its head with a 5-0 run around both Bellarmine timeouts to take a 25-24 lead. The Knights eventually ended the run with the score at 25-25, but the damage was done as the Governors scored the final two points to take a 27-25 victory, even the game tied at 2-2, forcing a fifth Sentence. With momentum on his side, Austin Peay took a 3-0 lead at the start of the fifth period. BU was undeterred, however, and responded with five consecutive points to take a 5-3 lead. From then on, the teams traded points back and forth while doing their best. Austin Peay found an advantage late and used a 4-1 run to take control 12-9. Bellarmine fought to stay in the set and got within two points at 13-11, but the Governors were undeterred and took two of the last three points to take the set 15-12 and win the game 3: 2.

Second semester Natalie Bland led the Knights' attack and gave full effort on both sides of the ball. Bland posted a top-scoring total of 23 kills and added 15 digs and an ace. The double-double marks her team-leading ninth win of the season as she reached more than 20 kills for the second time this season. Her 15 awards were just one shy of a career high set earlier this season. Fellow sophomore Erika Smith and fifth graders Addison Foote were the only other Knights to score double-digit kills. Smith was outstanding, posting a career-high 15 kills with a block and a dig while hitting .379. Foote matched her season high with 14 kills, one shy of her career high, and added three digs and a season high four blocks. PhD student Mara Perry showed her usefulness and once again took on the role of setter for the injured junior Kylie Van Hoy. Perry set a new career high with her 43 assists in the match and added 11 digs, four kills and an ace for her second double-double of the year. Defensively, Bellarmine had four players score in double figures. Next to Bland and Perry, freshman Payton Parsons impressed with a team-best 19 digs in the game and contributed five assists as a junior Tessa Nauert contributed 12 digs, three aces and two digs. At the net, senior Jayda Harris posted a season-high six blocks.

Next, Bellarmine will continue its final road trip of the season with a trip to Richmond, Kentucky for an in-state battle with ASUN opponent Eastern Kentucky before traveling to Fort Myers, Florida. to face ASUN top dog Florida Gulf Coast.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X, Instagram and Facebook.