JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Bellarmine University volleyball team battled back-and-forth with Atlantic Sun Conference-leading North Florida, but was edged in fifth set on the road Friday afternoon.
Freshman
Maddie Carnes earned 39 assists, breaking Bellarmine's Division I-era single-season record for assists with 896. Her stellar rookie performance has moved her into fourth on Bellarmine's career assists list with just one season under her belt. The current leader is
Kylie Van Hoy with 2,073 who was the previous record holder for most assists in a single season with 862.
North Florida (14-9, 7-5 ASUN) took the first set in dominant fashion, taking down the Knights 25-11 to take the 1-0 match lead. Bellarmine (11-12, 5-7 ASUN) rallied back in the second to take a hard-fought 26-24 victory. The third and fourth sets had similar results to the first two with the Ospreys taking another set advantage with a considerable 25-13 margin and the Knights fighting for a 25-21 fourth set triumph. The fifth set had a total of nine ties and eight leads changes with North Florida walking away with the victory with a 15-12 fifth set tally.
The Knights were led by senior
Natalie Bland who stacked the stat sheet with 18 kills, 19 digs, a pair of assists and an ace while hitting .a team-high .292.
Bellarmine will remain in Florida as it takes on Jacksonville on Saturday, November 8. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+
