LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University volleyball team returns to traditional ASUN Conference West Division road play on Friday and Saturday as the Knights travel to Alabama to take on Jacksonville State and North Alabama.
Bellarmine's game against the Gamecocks will be Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) with Saturday's contest against the Lions scheduled for a 2 p.m. (CT) start.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Bellarmine competed in the second ASUN Crossover weekend last week when they squared off against East Division foes North Florida, Kennesaw State and Stetson, falling in all three matches to see its record slip to 6-17 overall and 2-9 in ASUN play.
 
JACKSONVILLE STATE
Newcomers to the ASUN, the Gamecocks are making a strong debut in the league and currently stand 19-5 with a 9-2 mark in conference play, which leads the West Division. 

One of those conference wins came against Bellarmine Knights Hall on Oct. 2. The Gamecocks were in control from the outset in that contest and posted a 3-0 sweep as they enjoyed a 41-27 kills advantage while outhitting the Knights .385 to .095.
 
Kylie Quigley led the way for Jacksonville State and was the only player in the match to record double digit kills with 11 on just 19 swings.  Bailey Venard paced the Bellarmine offense in the first meeting with seven kills while Bailey Roszman and Jayme Scott recorded five each. Defensively, Bellarmine's Anna Lococo and JSU's Erin Carmichael shared match-high honors with 11 digs each.
 
NORTH ALABAMA
Entering play this week, the Lions are 8-16 and mirror the Knights' 2-9 record in league play. In the last game against Bellarmine on Oct. 1, the Knights prevailed in five sets as was the case in both of their meetings in the spring.

In the most recent match, UNA grabbed a victory in the first set after breaking an 18-18 deadlock with a 5-0 run and holding on for a 25-23 victory. The Knights responded by taking the next two games (25-21, 25-18), but the Lions repelled a Bellarmine fourth-set comeback and tied the match with a 25-23 win.
 
In the decisive fifth, the Knights never trailed after Seville Gates hammered home a kill following a lengthy rally on the set's first point.  After the Lions tied it at 2-2, the Knights got the separation they needed with a 3-0 spurt capped by a Scott kill that came on the heels of an incredible dig by Lococo. From there, the closest UNA could get was two points as Abbie Stefanon came up big in the late stages with a pair of kills and a solo block.  Match point was earned on a block by Bailey Roszman and Emily Arnold as Bellarmine closed out the Lions 15-8.
 
Six different players (three from each team) reached double digits in kills with Scott totaling 17 to lead all hitters. For UNA, Mattrice Harris had a big night with 15 kills on just 23 swings to finish with a .522 attack percentage.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).