Liberty Outlasts Bellarmine for 5-Set Victory

After being two points away from closing out a 3-0 sweep, Liberty saw Bellarmine rally to take sets three and four before the Lady Flames recovered to close out the 3-2 (25-14, 25-17, 23-25, 22-25, 15-9) win, Friday at Knights Hall.

Liberty bounces back after falling to Jacksonville State in five sets last Saturday, as the Flames push their record to 11-6, 4-1 in ASUN play. The Knights fall to 7-10, 1-4 in conference matches.

Notable Numbers

• Liberty hit a season-best .388 for the match, with three Lady Flames hitting .500 or better. The Lady Flames also set a season high with 64 kills. Bellarmine hit .201 and held a wide 15-7 advantage in aces. Liberty led 10-5 in blocks.

• Lydia Burts hit .621 with a career-high 19 kills to go along with four blocks, while Madison Blane scored a career-high 13 kills at a .611 pace and also added four blocks. Kate Phillips scored 14 kills at a .500 clip and served up a career-high four aces. Delaney Dilfer posted her fourth double-double in a row, with a match-high 50 assists and 12 digs. Trinity Watts contributed 12 kills and five blocks, while Erica Lowery collected 17 digs and Madigan Faircloth corralled a career-high 10 digs.

• Kylie VanHoy totaled 17 kills, four aces and 10 digs for Bellarmine, who had four players record three aces or more. Jayme Scott contributed 15 kills, while Bailey Venard sent down 11 kills. Macie Garrison posted 30 assists and 10 digs, while Anna Lococo collected 12 digs.

Turning Point

• Liberty hit .600 in the first set and .455 in set two, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. The Lady Flames led set three 23-22, but Bellarmine scored the next three points to extend the match.

• The Knights served up six aces in set four and held off a late Liberty rally to win 25-22.

• However, Liberty took control early in set five, scoring at a .562 clip on the way to a 15-9 victory.

Quick Hits

• Liberty is now 3-1 all-time against Bellarmine in volleyball, as the Lady Flames have won each of the last three meetings in a row. Last year’s meeting also resulted in a 3-2 Liberty win.

• Both Bellarmine and Liberty are now 2-3 in five-set matches this season.

• Liberty’s .388 hitting percentage today was its best since hitting .406 against Central Arkansas on Oct. 22, 2021.

• The Lady Flames have posted more victories than they did last season, when Liberty went 10-14 in the fall of 2021.

• Burts (19 kills, .621 attack percentage) and Blane (13 kills, .611) are the first pair of Liberty teammates to both hit at least .600 (minimum 12 kills) in the same match under the rally-scoring system (since 2001).  Add in Kate Phillips’ 14 kills (.500), and Liberty had three players hit .500 or better.

• Burts’ 19 kills are the most by a Liberty middle blocker since Anna Gragg scored 19 kills against La Salle on Dec. 7, 2019.

• Dilfer has posted double-doubles in four straight matches, giving her a team-leading nine for the season and 14 for her career. She also posted her fourth 50-assist match of the season.

Up Next

Liberty wraps up its trip to Kentucky tomorrow, with a 2 p.m. match at Eastern Kentucky.