RICHMOND, Ky.—In a comeback that rivaled the Knights' dramatic win over Southern Illinois earlier this season, the Bellarmine volleyball team stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to pull out a 3-2 win over Eastern Kentucky in an ASUN Conference match in McBrayer Arena on Friday night.
 
Not only did the Knights dust themselves off from a nearly certain defeat by overcoming a 20-17 deficit in the third set to avoid the sweep, Bellarmine, again, shrugged off another nearly insurmountable hole in the deciding fifth set.  After falling behind 6-2 in the fifth, the Knights fought back but still found themselves trailing 10-7, when they caught fire and closed with an 8-2 run to take the match 3-2.
 
"What a match!" exclaimed Bellarmine Coach Rick Nold. "We struggled early, and it would have been easy to get down, but we've shown all year that we can fight back from a tough situation, and tonight was no different. I absolutely love coaching this team."
 
Playing mostly without  ASUN kills leader Jayme Scott, several other Knights stepped up with career-best and clutch performances to help Bellarmine pull out the dramatic win.  Bailey Venard filled in Scott's outside hitter position very nicely with a career-high 24 kills while hitting .267.  Meanwhile, on defense, junior libero Anna Lococo came up with a career-high 33 digs while Jayda Harris contributed a career-high eight blocks (one solo, seven assisted blocks).  Freshman Gabby Brissett came through in the clutch for the Knights, hammering home five of her 11 kills in the decisive fifth set.
 
While the night ended on quite a high for Bellarmine, it was the host Colonels who were doing nearly all of the celebrating in the early going, hitting .464 in the opening set to steamroll the Knights 25-15.  EKU kept the momentum rolling in the second frame, jumping out to an 8-2 lead.  However, Bellarmine started showing signs of life in the second set, trimming the margin to two in the late stages, before the Colonels closed out the set with authority to claim a 25-20 win.
 
By the third set, the Knights had started to find its rhythm a little better, but the Colonels were still playing at a high level.  The back and forth frame saw 11 ties with each team making runs.  Perhaps the turning point of the match came with Bellarmine trailing 15-12 when a Harris kill and three consecutive service aces gave the Knights a 16-15 lead.  Although EKU again pulled out to a 3-point lead, the Knights closed with an 8-3 run to get the 25-23 win with Brissett recording the set-winning kill. The Colonels posted a .424 attack percentage in the third, but the Knights countered by hitting .302 and racking up five aces.
 
Bellarmine maintained their positive energy in the fourth set and never trailed in posting a 25-20 win.  This time the Knights did it with defense, limiting EKU to just eight kills and holding the Colonels to just .049 hitting.
 
After Eastern's hot start in the fifth, again it was the Bellarmine defense along with some clutch swings by Brissett and Venard that kept the Knights in it.  The Colonels and Bellarmine were deadlocked at 12 apiece when the Knights closed out the match with three straight points in which Brissett played a key role, first getting a kill then teaming with Harris for a block and closing the match with her fifth kill of the set.
 
The victory improves Bellarmine's record to 9-12 overall and 3-6 in league play while the Colonels fall to 12-11, 3-6 (ASUN). 
 
For fans wanting to re-live the new ASUN rivalry between Bellarmine and EKU, they won't have to wait long as the teams will meet again at 1 p.m. on Sunday with the Knights hosting this time.
 
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights), and Facebook (BUKnights).