FT. MYERS, Fla.—Going up against one of the ASUN Conference's top teams on its senior night is a tough task, and although the Bellarmine volleyball dropped the match to Florida Gulf Coast in straight sets, the Knights forced the Eagles to earn the victory.
After a first set in which FGCU claimed a dominating 25-8 win, Bellarmine battled back and went toe-to-toe with the home team in both the second and third sets. The Eagles pulled out 25-22, 25-21 wins to earn the sweep, however.
"I said last night that I wanted to see how we would bounce back and fight," said Bellarmine Coach
Rick Nold. "I loved what I saw those last two sets. I thought we were the aggressor, which is what we've wanted to be all year. We just played a great team, and they stepped up and made plays, too. We will keep growing and finish strong," Nold added.
Bellarmine middle
Hannah Brown was the offensive leader for the Knights with eight kills while
Jayme Scott added seven and
Kylie VanHoy chipped in six.
Junior libero
Anna Lococo led the defense with 11 digs, and in the process, raised her career dig total to 1,000. She becomes the third Knight to achieve a notable milestone this season with Scott going over the 1,000-kill plateau and
Emily Arnold notching her 3,000th career assist earlier this year.
For the match, the Eagles posted big advantages in virtually all aspects of the match. The home team owned a 43-28 edge in kills while out-digging the Knights 56-41 and out-blocking the visitors 7-3.
The Eagles, who improved to 21-6, 11-3 ASUN, got a great effort from Lily Felts. The fifth year player celebrated senior day with 12 kills, three service aces and a pair of blocks to lead the FGCU attack.
Bellarmine (10-16, 4-10 ASUN) has just two regular season matches remaining. On Friday, the Knights will play at Queens University of Charlotte before closing at home with senior day against Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).
