Bellarmine stopped a 33-match losing streak against NKU Tuesday night.
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Emily Beckman recorded six of her team-leading 17 kills in the fifth set as the Bellarmine University volleyball team stunned Northern Kentucky University, 26-24, 25-23, 13-25, 22-25, 15-13, Tuesday night in Regents Hall.
Whitney Tormoehlen added 15 kills and converted two straight attacks to give Bellarmine the win in the fifth set. The Knights hit .579 in the final stanza to defeat NKU for the first time since 1992.
Going into Tuesday's contest, NKU owned 33 consecutive victories against Bellarmine.
Noelle Peterson and
Kim Nemcek each finished with 20 kills for NKU, which dropped to 14-6 overall, 5-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse attacked at a .314 clip for the match, including .526 in the fifth set.
Sarah Drennen added 17 kills and hit .293 for NKU, while setter
Jenna Schreiver dished out 53 assists. The Norse nearly rallied from a two-set deficit and held a 13-12 lead in the final stanza, but Bellarmine used a 3-0 run to seal the upset.
Bellarmine's Paula Byrns collected 13 kills and hit .522 for the match. NKU's
Kylee Tarantino served up three aces, while Nemcek and
Kelly Morrissey both added two aces.
Nemcek, who was named GLVC Player of the Week on Monday, also collected 11 digs and two blocks.
Wisconsin-Parkside visits NKU at 7 p.m. Friday. NKU is also holding its Dig Pink promotion as part of breast cancer awareness that evening. Breast cancer survivors have been invited to attend that match, and Dig Pink volleyballs will also be raffled to assist in raising funds for breast cancer awareness.
Three-time defending GLVC Tournament champion Lewis invades Regents Hall at 3 p.m. Saturday for a first-place showdown. NKU is also holding a Black Out promotion that afternoon, and all Norse fans are encouraged to wear black NKU apparel for that match.
Lewis is currently 16-3 overall, 6-0 in the GLVC. NKU knocked off the Flyers in the regular-season finale last season to claim a share of the GLVC East Division title. The Norse later eliminated Lewis in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Allendale, Mich.
