HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Jenna Ruble's only block for the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team could not have come at a better time, clinching match point for the Norse against Lipscomb in a dramatic 3-2 comeback win.
 
Ruble finished the night with a career-high 21 kills, hitting .486 as the Norse rallied back from two sets down to take the match 18-25, 22-25, 25-17, 27-25, 15-9. The win snapped a two-match slide for the Norse, who now stand at 14-7 overall and 4-4 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. It also marked the first time since the 2013 season that the Norse had come back from down 2-0 to win a match.
 
"It's the biggest win we've had this year; it's the biggest win we've had since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference," said head coach Liz Hart after the victory. "Especially to be down 0-2 and come back and win, they did a great job to stay composed and finish each set."
 
"We are so excited; it couldn't have ended better for us," added Ruble. "It's such a big deal for us to get this win and stay out of a rut.
 
"You can't second-guess us. We were down two games, but we found it inside of ourselves and came together as a team."
 
Jayden Julian added 19 kills and hit .310 for the Norse, who hit .338 as a team on the match. Keely Creamer chipped in 14 kills and three blocks, while Taylor Snyder dished out 58 assists to go with six digs and four kills. Mel Stewart paced the defensive effort with 21 digs.
 
"We made a decision to be aggressive and not back down, not be afraid of making mistakes," said Julian. "We said we were going to do this, and we got it done. It really made a difference when we didn't have a care in the world and could just force Lipscomb into errors."
 
The Bisons (14-7, 7-1 A-Sun) put five players in double-figures for kills, led by Lauren Ford, who had 15 kills and four blocks on the night. Sophie Kellerman picked up a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs on the night. The result was the first win for the Norse in six all-time meetings against Lipscomb.
 
Lipscomb opened the night on a 5-1 run, but the Norse continued the fight and, after back-to-back kills from Jayden Julian on long rallies, tied the set at 13-13 on the heels of their own 5-0 run. The Bisons stormed back, taking nine of the next 11 points to hold on for a 25-18 set win. Lipscomb hit .455 on the set, seeing four kills each from Kellerman, Ford and Bradley.
 
The offensive onslaught continued from both teams, as NKU hit .750 in the early part of Set 2 to jump out to a 10-6 lead. Lipscomb put together a 5-1 rally late, taking advantage of a pair of Kellerman kills to take a 19-16 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Drew Hendricks and Ruble pulled the Norse within two points late at 23-21, but Katie Bradley was able to pick up the final two points for Lipscomb to close out the set 25-22.
 
NKU used a 4-0 run early to take a 5-4 lead in Set 3, extending it to 13-9 after Tristen Simpson picked up a pair of well-fought kills. The Norse pushed out to an 18-12 lead and closed the set out taking five of the final seven points, including a service ace from Ruble, one of five aces on the match for the Norse. The service game played large in the set for the Norse, as they kept Lipscomb off balance and hitting just .103.
 
After the teams went back-and-forth to begin Set 4, Lipscomb took a 5-1 run for an 11-8 lead. The Norse came back thanks to four in a row of their own as Ruble put back a pair of Lipscomb over passes. Lipscomb rallied back to retake a one-point lead before the Norse rattled off eight of nine points to take what appeared to be a commanding 21-15 lead. The Lady Bisons had no quit, however, as Jordan Huston served up six straight points to make it a 22-21 Lipscomb advantage. The Norse survived two match points, getting kills from Tristen Simpson, one of her 11 on the night, and Ruble, who served up a pair of points to give NKU a 27-25 set win.
 
Ruble continued her roll, picking up back-to-back kills to open the deciding set. The Norse pushed to a 5-2 lead that extended to 9-5. Creamer added three kills in the set to go with Ruble's three kills. Lipscomb was only able to hold serve twice in the final set, held to a .158 hitting percentage.
 
"We knew we had a tough stretch, playing the number two and three teams in the conference last weekend and the number one team tonight, but we're playing at home," added Hart. "We've been on the road a ton; we play better at home. I feel confident that we can get some wins in this stretch, and I thought the girls did a really nice job."
 
The Norse continue their four-match home stand when they step out of conference for the final time on Tuesday, hosting in-state foe Eastern Kentucky. It's Star Wars Night in Regents Hall, and the first 50 students in attendance will receive a free inflatable lightsaber. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. For more information, keep up with the Norse on social media by following @NKUNorseVBall on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.