ATLANTA, Ga. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team lost a pair of 3-0 decisions against strong competition on day one of the Emory Classic on Friday.

In the opener against the College of Saint Benedict, the Belles were on the short end of a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-13) final. The teams were in a tight opening set until the Blazers used a 9-4 run to claim a 17-11 lead over the Belles. Saint Mary's battled back to pull within 19-18, but Saint Benedict took advantage of a miscue late to go up 24-21 before claiming the set 25-23. The Blazers used that momentum shift to take early leads in both the second and third sets on their way to the 3-0 final.

Meaghan Gibbons paced Saint Mary's with 10 kills while picking up nine digs. Kaylin Szucs chipped in 10 digs. Clare McMillan had 18 assists and eight digs while Alexis Grady posted 16 assists in the match.

Later in the night, the Belles fell 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-16) against a Birmingham Southern squad who had received votes in the AVCA Pre-Season Top 25 poll. The Panthers used an early run in the opening set before pulling out to a 1-0 lead. The Belles held their own in the second set as the teams were tied 20-20, but Birmingham Southern rattled off a 5-0 run to close out the set. The third set was dictated by the Panthers from early on as the Belles fell 3-0 against a team that made it to the NCAA Regional Semifinals a year ago.

Gibbons led the way again with 12 kills while tallying 19 digs and a pair of aces. Szucs registered 11 digs on the night. Clare McMillan added a double-double of her own with 17 assists and 10 digs.

The Belles (0-2) face St. Thomas and host #4 Emory on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.