BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University women's volleyball team split the opening day of the Labor Day Classic in Bellevue, Neb., falling 3-2 to Central Methodist University 3-2 and defeating College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 3-1.

Lawrence Tech (4-2) ended the day with a strong win over College of the Ozarks, taking the first set 25-21. In a marathon second set, Blue Devils fell 30-28 as they went back-and-forth with 10 ties, the last at 19-19. The Bobcats went on a 5-2 run to take a 24-21 lead, but LTU tied it at 24-24. The Bobcats went on to tie the match with a 30-28 win.

The Blue Devils won the next two sets, taking the third set 25-20 and the fourth set 25-19. LTU finished the match with 69 kills ad a .240 hitting percentage. Zakia Hunt led the way with 18 kills and a .680 hitting percentage. Kristi Doherty had 53 assists.

The Blue Devils opened the day against Central Methodist, taking the first set 25-21. The Blue Devils hit .433 in the opening set with just two hitting errors. In the next two sets, Central Methodist battled to a 25-23 win in what was a back-and-forth set with the Eagles earning the final two points of the set. CMU cruised to a 25-12 win in set two, but LTU fought back to a 25-23 win in set four to force a fifth set.

In the final set, Lawrence Tech took a 5-3 lead, but CMU followed with a 6-2 run to take a 9-7 lead. The Blue Devils trailed 14-11, but three straight points tied the set at 14-14. The Eagles closed the set with two final points for a 3-2 win.

The Blue Devils are back on the courts tomorrow at 10 a.m. when they face Evangel University followed by No. 2-ranked Dordt (Iowa) College at 12 p.m.

Follow @LTUAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube | #BlueDevilsDare