DELAND, Fla. - McKenna Foster posted 12 kills and hit .423 to lead the Stetson University volleyball team to a 25-17, 25-20, 25-23 victory over Northern Kentucky University in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Friday evening.
 
The Norse were led by Jenna Ruble, who had 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Keely Creamer and Jayden Julian each had eight kills as well, while Mel Stewart recorded a 20-dig night. With the loss, NKU fell to 13-6 overall and 3-3 in A-Sun play.
 
Madison Akins added 11 kills for Stetson, which improved 13-6 overall and 5-1 in the A-Sun.
 
NKU will wrap up the weekend of league play on Saturday evening at Florida Gulf Coast. First serve from Alico Arena is set for 6 p.m. A link to live stats is available at NKUNorse.com.
 
A late 11-2 run solidified the win in Set 1 for Stetson, 25-17. The Hatters picked up four of their 10 blocks in the match during the run and held the Norse to a negative hitting percentage (-.031) on the set.
 
Stetson jumped ahead early in Set 2, racing out to an 8-4 lead before the Norse raced back with four straight points, including a service ace from Julian, one of three on the match for NKU. Stetson picked up eight of the next 12 points to give the Hatters the lead for good. Akins picked up seven kills in the set as Stetson hit .312.
 
NKU took an early 8-4 lead in Set 3, and stretched it to 12-6 as part of a 9-2 run, keyed by five kills and a pair of service aces. Stetson continued to chip away and, with a 4-0 run late, pulled ahead, 20-19. Jessica Armstrong helped close things out for the Hatters, picking up a pair of kills in a match-ending 4-1 run.
 
The loss dropped NKU's lead in the all-time series to 3-2.