LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Bellarmine University volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat FGCU 3-2 Saturday night at Knights Hall, earning its first-ever win over the Eagles in program history with a reverse-sweep victory in ASUN play.
The come from behind win marks the first time Bellarmine (11-9, 5-4 ASUN) has completed a reverse sweep since October 21, 2022 when the Knights rallied against Eastern Kentucky on the road. The win also ties Bellarmine program-high win total with 11 in the Division I era.
FGCU (8-11, 5-4 ASUN) claimed the first set 26-24 and then the second set 25-23. Both sets saw a flurry of ties and lead changes, but the Eagles walked away with both narrow advantages.
The third set included 11 lead changes, but Bellarmine fended off the Eagles with three straight points to secure the set by a tally of 26-24. The back and forth contest continued into the fourth set with 13 lead changes until a Knights kill ended the set and nulled the set score with a 25-23 advantage. The decisive set was dominated by Bellarmine who took a 4-3 lead and never looked back. The final line was 24-26, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-10 in favor of the Knights.
Natalie Bland led Bellarmine with 21 kills, while
Mady Yaden added 17 kills and
Erika Smith contributed 11.
Maddie Carnes paced the offense with 53 assists, and
Payton Parsons led the defensive effort with 12 digs. Smith also recorded a team-high five blocks, while
Abby Julius served three aces to help the Knights complete the reverse sweep over FGCU.
Bellarmine will wrap up its home schedule with two home matches against Queens and West Florida. The Knights will first take on Queens on Friday, October 30 with first serve set for 6 pm. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+. BU will then turn its attention to Saturday, October 31 for Senior Day against West Florida.
