LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine volleyball concludes its longest ASUN road stretch of the season this weekend, making trips to Conway, AR and Florence, AL for conference bouts with Central Arkansas and North Alabama October 24 and 26.
The Knights (9-11, 3-5) kick off the trip on Friday, October 24 with a match at Central Arkansas at 7 pm E.T. Bellarmine will then end the weekend on October 26 at North Alabama at 2 pm E.T.
Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
With nine wins on the year, the Knights are just one win away from tying their Division I era record of 10 wins, set in 2022. The team notched its fifth ASUN win of the year last weekend, the second most in a season since Bellarmine joined the conference in 2020. In 2023, BU won seven ASUN matches to set the high-water mark for league success.
Last weekend, Bellarmine stopped a two-match losing skid with a 3-1 rally over North Florida. The Knights fell in the opening set before going on to win three in a row for the win. Before that, Bellarmine had lost back-to-back matches by sweep, dropping contests to Queens and the league leader Jacksonville.
Redshirt freshman
Mya White led the offense in both Florida matches and is up to 150 kills in her first season of action, third most on the team. Bellarmine is led by junior
Natalie Bland, who owns 238 kills on the year. In addition to her role as top hitter on the Knights' offense, she ranks fifth in both total kills and kills per ser (3.22) and seventh in points per set (3.62) in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Senior
Kylie Van Hoy is on pace to reach 2,000 career assists in her final season with the Knights. She has dished out 618 so far this year and ranks third in the league in assists per set (8.83) and fourth in total assists. Sophomore
Payton Parsons has already surpassed her impressive dig total from her freshman campaign has nearly completed the quest for 300, sitting at 293 digs on the year. She ranks fifth in the ASUN in both total digs and digs per set (3.97).
About the Sugar Bears
- Central Arkansas is 10-8 on the year and is 7-1 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Sugar Bears hold sole possession of second place in the ASUN standings, behind Jacksonville (8-0). UCA's lone conference loss came on October 10 to FGCU, falling 3-0. Since then, the Sugar Bears have won three straight matches, two by sweep, with their most recent victory coming over West Georgia (3-1). Central Arkansas was tabbed to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- The Sugar Bears are led by a pair of hitters with 160+ kills each. Redshirt junior Laci Bohannon, a Preseason All-ASUN selection, leads the team with 202 kills on the season and ranks fourth in the conference in kill per set (3.26) and points per set (3.82). Junior Gabby Tuiaana follows behind with 162 kills, averaging 2.79 per set. Reigning ASUN Setter of the Week and Preseason All-ASUN selection Caylan Koons paces the offense with 560 assists. The senior ranks fourth in the ASUN in assists per set with 8.62. Defensively, freshman McKinzee Haas leads a strong blocking team with 67.0 on the season. She ranks fifth in the conference with 1.05 blocks per set and is also very efficient on the offensive side, ranking 10th with a .325 hitting percentage. Haas was named last week's ASUN Freshman of the Week. Senior Alexis McDaniel, the Preseason ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and All-ASUN selection, leads the team's dig effort with 269 this season, ranking second in the league with 4.14 per set. As a team, Central Arkansas is second in the Atlantic Sun in blocking, turning in 2.23 blocks per set.
- Bellarmine and Central Arkansas have eight times in total with seven of the meetings coming since Bellarmine's move to Division I and the ASUN in 2020. UCA holds a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series and is 6-1 in D1 matches against the Knights. The lone Division II meeting came in 2003 when UCA topped BU 3-0. Last season, the Sugar Bears won both contests, narrowly edging the Knights in the final match of the year, 3-2. Bellarmine's lone win came on September 29, 2023 at home, topping Central Arkansas 3-1.
About the Lions
- North Alabama is 11-10 this season and is 5-3 in ASUN Conference action. The Lions are currently in a two-way tie for fourth in the league, sharing with Eastern Kentucky. Last weekend, UNA suffered their third league loss, falling 3-2 to Queens. Before that, the Lions had won three straight matches, including a 3-2 win over No. 3 ranked FGCU. North Alabama was picked to finish fifth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- UNA features two players with 240+ kills on the season, led by junior Kendall Barnes with 282. Barnes ranks third in the ASUN in kills per set (3.66) and points per set (4.01). Sophomore Reece Ricketts rounds out the duo with 241 kills, ranking seventh in the league in kills per set (3.17) and eighth in points per set (3.57). Although not a high kill producer, junior Nicole Sargent is very efficient offensively, ranking seventh in the ASUN with a .331 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kinslee McGowan, a four-time ASUN Setter of the Week recipient, paces the offense with 796 assists on the year and ranks second in the conference with 10.21 assists per set. Defensively, junior Ava Martindale is tops in the digs department with 250 on the year while Sargent leads the team with 50.0 blocks. As a team, North Alabama is fourth in the Atlantic Sun in hitting percentage (.240), opponent hitting percentage allowed (.210) and digs per set (14.44).
- Bellarmine and North Alabama have met nine times in the Knights' Division I era. Bellarmine holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series and won the most recent meeting 3-2 in the second to last match of the 2024 regular season. UNA had won two matches in a row before the five setter. All three of the Lions' wins have come at home where the series is tied 3-3.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X, Instagram and Facebook.
