LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine volleyball embarks on its longest Atlantic Sun road stretch of the season, kicking off with a trip to Jacksonville, FL this weekend for a pair of matches at Jacksonville and North Florida.

The Knights will first take on Jacksonville, the first of four straight matches away from Knights Hall, on Friday, October 17 at 7 pm before a bout with North Florida on Saturday, October 18 at 6 pm.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Bellarmine notched its first home ASUN win last weekend with a clean sweep of West Georgia. The follow day, the Knights battled with Queens but came up short in each set as they fell 3-0. Through three weeks of ASUN action, BU is 2-4 with an 8-10 overall record.

The Knights' eight wins this season are just two away from tying their Division I era record of 10 wins in 2022. They have one more match than they did a year ago (7) and are one win away from their win total in 2023 (9), the second most successful season in the Division I era.

Junior Natalie Bland continues to be Bellarmine's top offensive option this season, leading the team with 217 kills. She is fourth in the ASUN in both total kills and kills per ser (3.24) and ranks seventh in the league in points per set (3.66). Senior Kylie Van Hoy has dished 552 assists this season at an 8.76 clip per set. She ranks third in the league in assists per set and fourth in total assists. Sophomore Payton Parsons has been a stout defender this season, registering a team-best 270 digs. She is just 10 away from her dig total from last season and ranks fourth in the ASUN in digs and fifth in digs per set (4.03). At the net, junior Erika Smith has been a force, recording 55.0 blocks, four more than her season total from 2024 and ranks ninth in the ASUN in total blocks.

About the Dolphins

• Jacksonville is off to an undefeated start in conference play, boasting a 6-0 record and is 15-3 on the year. The Dolphins only losses of the season came to Power 4 opponents Alabama (SEC), Pittsburgh (ACC, No. 9 at the time, now No. 6) and West Virginia (Big 12). In six, ASUN matches, Jacksonville has lost just two sets, winning four times via sweep. Jacksonville sits alone at the top of the ASUN standings as the only remaining undefeated team after being picked to finish fifth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Dolphins' offense features four players with 140+ kills, led by junior Rebekah Williams with 178. In addition to her hitting prowess, Williams leads the ASUN in aces with 30 and an average of 0.46 per set. Behind her, fellow junior Claire Mrukowski has tallied 156 kills and ranks 8^th in the league with a .342 hitting percentage. Senior Breanna McDonough follows with 147 kills and ranks 10^th in the ASUN with a .324 hitting percentage while grad student Madi Novak rounds out the group with 144 kills. Sophomore Haley Yount ranks first in the ASUN, hitting .468 on the season. She also ranks in the top ten in blocks per set, sitting in eighth with 0.97. Additionally on the defensive side, reigning ASUN Defensive Player of the Week junior Alija Heins has racked up 68.0 blocks and is fourth in the league with 1.05 blocks per set. Senior Kristina Nika leads the Dolphins dig effort with 247 and is 6^th in the league with 3.80 per set. Grad Student Bella Dearinger paces the offense with 369 assists, ranking 10^th in the ASUN with 5.68 per set. As a team, Jacksonville leads the league with a .266 hitting percentage and is third in opponent hitting percentage, allowing just a .204 clip to opposing hitters. The Dolphins also lead the ASUN in aces with 133 on the year, good for 2.05 per set. Along with Williams, Jacksonville has three other players in the ASUN Top 10 aces per set.
• Bellarmine and Jacksonville have met four times in the Knights' Division I era with the Dolphins hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. In the last meeting on October 26, 2024, Jacksonville swept Bellarmine in Knights Hall. Two years ago, the Knights earned their lone win, topping Jacksonville 3-2 in their lone trip to Swisher Gymnasium.

About the Ospreys

• North Florida is off to a 2-4 start to its ASUN Conference schedule and is 8-11 overall. Just as Bellarmine has, the Ospreys have earned both of their league wins over West Georgia and Austin Peay. They topped the Wolves in their conference opener and defeated the Governors in their second match last weekend. UNF sits in a three-way tie with Bellarmine and Stetson for 8^th place in the ASUN standings after being tabbed to finish 7^th in the Preseason Coaches' Poll with one first-place vote.
• The Osprey's offense features three players with 140+ kills and is led by freshman Kendall Newbold with 182. Junior Yarimar Francis Garay is second on the team with 153 eliminations. Defensively, she ranks third in the ASUN in blocks per set with 1.06 and has recorded a team-high 76.0 on the year. Fellow junior Kaili Doctor rounds out the hitting trio with 140 kills. Freshman Sofia Dawson paces the offense with 480 assists, ranking 6^th in the ASUN in assists per set with 6.49. Senior Maymie Guthrie lead the dig effort with 208 while Dawson is second with 141. As a team, North Florida is fourth in the ASUN with 2.08 blocks per set.
• Bellarmine and North Florida have met three times previously with UNF holding a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. In the last meeting on October 25, 2024, the Ospreys earned a 3-0 sweep in Knights Hall. Bellarmine secured its lone victory in 2023, wining 3-2 in Jacksonville.

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