FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the second-straight night, the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team came back from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set, but Lipscomb was able to hold on for a 15-9 win in the deciding stanza to advance to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final.
 
Mel Stewart set a career-high once again for digs, picking up 30 to lead NKU's defensive effort. Keely Creamer put down a match-high 16 kills, while Jenna Ruble added 12 kills and six blocks. Tristen Simpson added 12 kills of her own.
 
Taylor Snyder ended the season with her 16^th double-double, posting 45 assists and 19 digs. McKenzie Eskridge also claimed a new career high with 18 digs.
 
Sophie Kellerman and Lauren Ford each posted 15 kills to lead Lipscomb (21-7), while Brittnay Estes added 14 kills and 11 digs. Bri McCombs picked up a match-high 33 digs as well.
 
With the loss, NKU concluded its season with a record of 19-11. Lipscomb moves on to face the winner between Jacksonville and host Florida Gulf Coast. First serve is set for Saturday at 3 p.m., with the broadcast on ESPN3.
 
After dueling back and forth in the early part of the match, a 4-1 run in the middle of the set gave the Norse a 12-9 advantage and appeared to create some breathing room. However, Lipscomb battled back with three-straight points of their own to level the set at 12-12. Ruble picked things up with a pair of kills to spur a 6-0 run to give NKU a 20-14 edge that they would not relinquish, siding out to a 25-19 set win.
 
Lipscomb responded, opening the second stanza on a 6-1 run. The Norse came back, cutting the score within one at 11-10, but Lipscomb came back on another run, this one 5-1, to reopen the deficit at 16-11. Another Norse run opened up a window for NKU, as they cut the Lady Bisons' advantage to three at 21-18 thanks to a pair of blocks from Ruble. However, the Norse could not capitalize as Lipscomb claimed four of the final five points of the set to match the Set 1 score of 25-19.
 
Tristen Simpson came out looking to set the tone in Set 3 with two quick kills, but Lipscomb responded quickly, going on an 8-1 run to take a five-point lead. Lipscomb continued to push points to a nine-point lead at 21-12 before the Norse rattled off five points in a row, keyed by back-to-back Creamer kills, to spark an 8-1 run. The run came too late, however, as Lipscomb was able to hold off the comeback attempt for a 25-21 set win.
 
Set 4 was a story of runs, as McKenzie Eskridge served up a 4-0 run to start off the set before Lipscomb came back with four points of their own to tie the set. NKU picked up another four in a row, again keyed by a Creamer kill to make it 11-7. The Norse continued to push the advantage, as Creamer and Julian teamed up for a key block to spur another 4-0 Norse run and make it 17-10. Once again, Lipscomb had an answer, picking up nine of the next 11 points thanks in part to four Estes kills to tie the set at 19-19. Lipscomb briefly took a lead at 22-21 before a kill and an assisted block from Ruble helped to close out a 25-23 win for the Norse and force Set 5 for the second night in a row.
 
Lipscomb picked up the first three points of the fifth set before a Drew Hendricks solo block put the Norse on the board. The Lady Bisons continued to push forward, increasing the lead to 10-5 before the Norse rallied for three-straight points to close to within two points. Lipscomb again rallied, using back-to-back aces and a pair of kills from Kellerman to win five of the final six points and take the match.