FLORENCE, Ala.--The Bellarmine Knights volleyball team held off a fierce comeback by the North Alabama Lions to pick up their first ASUN Conference win in program history in Florence, Alabama Saturday evening in an entertaining five-set slugfest.
 
Bellarmine handily won the first of five sets played, 25-15. After that set, North Alabama tied the set series at one apiece with a 25-21 victory. The Knights responded with a hard-fought 25-22 win in set three, leading to North Alabama tying the series with a 25-18 win in set 4. In the deciding set, the teams went past the usual 15-point benchmark, with the Lions fighting off four match points before the Knights secured the win 18-16 when UNA's Kamryn Parsonage committed an attack error.
 
Abbie Oetting and Bailey Roszman led the Knights in kills, with 17 and 16 respectively.  Both those totals represent season highs for the players, and Oetting was just one away from her career high of 18. Karleigh Wilson led Bellarmine in digs with 24 while freshman Kalli Mau recorded her first career double-double with 57 assists and 10 digs, both career highs.
 
On the North Alabama side, Parsonage picked up 14 total kills and Katie Gerig led the Lions in digs with 14.
 
In team stats, Bellarmine managed 178 attacks with 63 kills, 85 digs, and nine blocks. North Alabama totaled 168 attacks with 49 kills, 62 digs, and 15 total blocks.
 
With the win over North Alabama in Match 1, Bellarmine improves to 2-9 on the season and 1-6 in ASUN play. The Lions fall to 1-9 (1-8 ASUN).
 
Bellarmine plays its second match of back-to-back contests with North Alabama tomorrow (Sunday) at 5 PM (ET) at Flowers Arena in Florence.
 
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