FORT MYERS, Fla. – Olivia Mesner posted 19 kills and hit .485 as the Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team pushed past Northern Kentucky University, 3-1, to close out a weekend of Atlantic Sun Conference play.
 
Jessica Barnes added 14 kills and Eleonora Kazarian posted a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs as the Eagles moved to 13-8 overall and 6-1 in A-Sun play.
 
Keely Creamer led the Norse with 15 kills on a .379 hitting percentage. Jenna Ruble added 13 kills and three blocks while hitting .321 on the match. Taylor Snyder posted her 11^th double-double of the season with 45 assists and 11 digs. Mel Stewart's 24 digs were a match high, while Lauren Hurley added 17 digs.
 
The loss dropped NKU to 13-7 overall and 3-4 in A-Sun play as the Norse prepare for a rematch with league-favorite Lipscomb on Friday at Regents Hall. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
After the Eagles got out to an 11-8 lead in Set 1, the Norse took the lead on a 5-1 run, thanks in part to three Eagle attack errors. FGCU got right back in front, however, picking up four of the next five points to go up 16-14. FGCU maintained the lead until set point at 24-21, when the Norse picked up three straight points, including a kill from Tristen Simpson to tie things up at 24-24. A service error gave the Eagles set point back, and Barnes cashed it in with a kill to take the set, 26-24.
 
A 7-1 run opened things up positively for FGCU before NKU was able to regain its footing, picking up four of the next five points.  The Eagles maintained their lead up until 20-16, when the Norse exploded on an 8-0 run, keyed by a Ruble kill followed by back-to-back blocks from Ruble and Simpson. Ruble then picked up game point to give the Norse a 25-21 set win.
 
After the intermission, NKU was able to chip points here and there to amass a five-point lead, which they held at 21-16 before FGCU was able to stage a dramatic comeback. A 5-1 run, including three kills from Kazarian and two more from Mesner, brought the Eagles within one point at 22-21. The Norse then picked up two more points to reach set point before FGCU picked up six of the next seven points to complete the comeback, 27-25, and take the match lead at 2-1.
 
NKU got a 4-1 start in Set 4 that FGCU was able to erase on three straight points, tying the set at 4-4. The teams traded points to 8-8 until FGCU pulled away with a 5-0 run, punctuated by back-to-back service aces from Caroline Jordan. The lead stretched as high as eight points, at 20-12, and the Norse were unable to come back, as FGCU took the final set, 25-17.
 
With the loss, NKU fell to 1-5 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast. The Norse also slipped to 1-4 on the road in conference play with just two road matches remaining against A-Sun opponents.