LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the second straight match, the Lipscomb volleyball program was tested to a five-set bout in ASUN play. On Saturday against Bellarmine University, the Bisons used a huge run in the final frame to defeat the Knights, Saturday afternoon from Knights Hall.

Final Score: Lipscomb 3, Bellarmine 2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11)
Location: Louisville, Kentucky (Knights Hall)
Records: Lipscomb (5-8, 2-0), Bellarmine (4-8, 1-1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lipscomb got out to a strong start with a 4-1 lead after kills by Berkley Mischler and Meg Mersman and a Libby Steinhart ace. 

Bellarmine stayed on pace with Lipscomb, but an 8-2 run by the Knights gave the home team the 15-11 advantage at the media timeout. 

The Bisons did rally to even the set at 19 points apiece after a block by Mischler and Addi Pelham, but a service error gave the ball back quickly to the Knights, and they did not let up. They finished the set on a 6-2 run to win the opening frame, 25-21. 

In set number two, despite Bellarmine getting out to a quick 2-0 lead, no team had more than a two-point lead for much of the set. All tied up at 16, a service error gave Lipscomb the spark they needed. A Mischler kill and a couple of attack errors on the other end gave the Bisons the 20-17 advantage. 

The Knights quickly made it a 20-19 deficit, but a Jada DiVita kill gave the visitors a huge side out that led to a 5-1 run to even the match up with a 25-20 set two win. 

After 11 ties and five lead changes in the second frame, there was none of that in the third. The Bisons led throughout the entire set and led 15-10 at the media break after back-to-back kills by Mersman and Courtney Jones. 

LUV cruised to a 25-17 win thanks to blocks by Mersman and Cora ter Kuile on two separate occasions. On set point, Mersman was there again, this time with Sophia Hudepohl to give them the advantage through three sets. 

In the fourth, Bellarmine got out to a 14-6 lead after back-to-back attack errors by Lipscomb, but an 8-2 run by the Bisons saw the lead trim down to three thanks to three straight errors and a bad set. 

The Knights kept their composure, however, as they led 23-17, but the Bisons made things interesting with six straight points to chip the deficit down to 23-22. Erika Smith had other things in mind, as she earned the side out for the Knights, as they forced a fifth set with a 25-23 win. 

Despite falling short in the fourth set, the Bisons' rally did not go unnoticed, as they used the momentum to get out to a strong start in the final frame. After an Anna Purichia kill by the Knights to start the scoring, ter Kuile quickly gave her teams the ball back with a kill. 

With Brooklyn Fuchs behind the service line, the team strung together six straight points, thanks to a strong front row attack. Mersman made it a 3-1 lead with a block, while she and DiVita joined together for the second block of the run. 

Trailing 7-1, Bellarmine did cut the deficit down to 14-11, but a service error on match point gave the Bisons the win and the 2-0 start in league play. 

QUOTABLE
KEY STATISTICS
Jada DiVita, after coming into the match during the second set, posted 16 kills with a .444 swing percentage. Between the final three sets, she spiked 14 kills, including a game-high four in the final set. 

Meg Mersman had a match-high 17 kills and a .500 swing percentage, committing two errors on 30 total attacks. The graduate student also matched career highs in total blocks and solo blocks with nine and four, respectively.

Courtney Jones recorded 16 kills and added eight digs, while Karlie McNabb added 13 digs and three aces. 

Sophia Hudepohl secured her 24th career double-double with 50 assists and 10 digs. 

HERD NOTES
During the match, Meg Mersman became the seventh player in Lipscomb's Division I history to achieve 1,000 career kills. The graduate student achieves the milestone one day after setting the new school mark in total blocks. 

UP NEXT
The road trip concludes on Friday, Oct. 5 with a quick visit to Clarksville, Tennessee to face Austin Peay.