NKU's Anna Prickel finished with eight digs against Bellarmine on Tuesday.
Box score
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University had hoped to administer a little payback to Bellarmine on the volleyball court Tuesday night, something the Norse had been waiting to do for more than a year.
Bellarmine, though, had other ideas, and the Knights found a way to knock off NKU for the second straight year.
Emily Beckman finished with 14 kills to lead Bellarmine to a 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21 win against NKU in Knights Hall. Paula Byrnes added eight kills and hit .438 for Bellarmine, which improved to 12-8 overall, 4-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The Knights rallied from a 15-11 deficit in the fourth set with a 7-1 run to take an 18-16 lead. Five of those points resulted from NKU errors. The Norse responded and tied the fourth set at 18-all after two straight Bellarmine errors, but the Knights used a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead and cruised to the victory.
NKU dropped to 15-11 overall, 5-3 in the GLVC.
Sarah Drennen led the Norse with 16 kills and hit .440, while teammate
Gennie Galfano added 14 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. The Norse held Bellarmine to a .169 hitting percentage. NKU attacked at a .200 clip and finished with 10 blocks as a team.
Jenna Schreiver collected 41 assists for NKU, and
Kylee Tarantino led the defense with 15 digs. Drennen added 11 digs for the Norse, while teammate
Katie Sommer had five kills and six blocks.
NKU is now 57-10 all-time against Bellarmine. The Norse defeated the Knights 33 consecutive times until last season's stunning five-set loss in Regents Hall.
NKU plays host to Indianapolis at 7 p.m. Friday as part of the Dig Pink promotion in Regents Hall. Indianapolis is currently ranked 19th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll.
Friday's Dig Pink promotion is to help raise money for breast cancer awareness, and breast cancer survivors are invited to attend the match that evening. Dig Pink volleyballs will also be raffled off to assist in raising funds for breast cancer awareness.
NKU concludes the weekend action Saturday in Regents Hall with a GLVC match against Saint Joseph's at 3 p.m.
