HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Despite a late challenge from the Norse, the FGCU volleyball team defeated Northern Kentucky University 3-2 Friday night at NKU's Regents Hall.  The Eagles won sets one and two (26-24, 25-23) before falling in the third and fourth sets (25-23, 25-15) but ultimately edged NKU 15-13 in the decisive fifth set to move to 15-8 on the season and 8-1 in Atlantic Sun play.  The Norse fall to 15-8 overall and move to 4-5 in conference.
 
The five-set match saw 40 tie scores and 20 lead changes with four of the five sets determined by just two points.  FGCU edged the Norse in three sets to hold onto the lead and maintain a tie with Lipscomb atop the Atlantic Sun Standings.
 
The Eagle attack was led by 25 kills from junior Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) as the team totaled 66 kills on the night.  Senior Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) also produced double figures with 15, while sophomore Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) led the team's attack percentage at .833 with five kills and no errors on just six attempts.
 
Defensively, the Green and Blue were led by Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) who produced 23 digs in the five-set affair.  Kazarian added 13 digs for her team best eighth double-double of the season.  Senior setter Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) added eight digs for the team and distributed the ball for the offense with 58 assists.
 
Collectively, the Eagles hit .195 at NKU, while allowing the Norse to maintain an attack percentage of .242.  The team produced 66 kills compared to NKU's 59 but was outblocked seven to four.
 
"Ella [Kazarian] played a big role throughout the match offensively," explained head coach Matt Botsford of the team's performance. "She was making good decisions and pressuring their defense the whole evening.  Defensively, Whitney [Masters] anchored our floor defense and in my opinion, had her best match of the season. Her passing, especially in crucial moments, really helped us win those close sets."
 
Sparked by an ace from sophomore Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School), the Eagles took control of the first set and produced a quick 6-1 lead. The Green and Blue increased that lead to 10-3 before NKU hailed for a timeout, but it was not long before the Eagles allowed the home team to produce a six-point run to cut the deficit.
 
NKU slashed the Eagle lead to just two points at 18-16 and moved to tie the set at 20 with help from attack errors by the Eagles and a service ace.  The set tied at 20, 21, and 22 points before a kill from senior Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Spanish River High School) helped the Eagles reclaim the lead at 23-22.  Two kills from Barnes and an attack error by the Norse allowed the Eagles to take a 1-0 lead in the match with a 26-24 victory in set one.
 
The teams traded points to open the second set before the Norse used three FGCU errors to take a 7-4 lead.  It looked as if the home team would maintain the lead but FGCU fired back with an 8-3 streak that forced NKU to call timeout as the Eagles led 12-10.  NKU and FGCU challenged each other in the set to produce 12 tie scores and seven lead changes.  With the set knotted at 20, the Eagles outscored NKU 5-3 in the remaining points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Again, the Norse and Eagles traded points to start the third set.  With a tie at 10-10, the Norse produced three-straight points to claim the lead and force Botsford to use a timeout.  After the breather, the team produced a 7-2 run that gave the Eagles back the advantage at 17-15, but the home team challenged quickly.
 
The third set saw tie scores at 18, 19, 20, 22 and 23 points before an FGCU service error and an NKU kill gave the home team its first set win and halted the Eagles from a clean sweep.
 
The Norse entered the fourth set firing on all cylinders and produced an attack percentage of .519, while holding the Eagles to a mark of .083.  After a tie at 4-4, NKU went ahead 9-7 and used strong play in the middle to increase its lead to 17-10.  FGCU called timeout to regroup but allowed the Norse to increase the lead to 21-10.  The Eagles added five points before the end of the set but were never able to cut the deficit. With a 25-15 win in the fourth set, NKU tied the match and sent it to a decisive fifth set.
 
"We had a very difficult time managing their middles in the fourth set and that was the difference there," explained Botsford of the breakdown. "Finding a way to fight NKU's momentum after that was great to see."
 
NKU took hold of the fifth set quickly and went ahead 6-3 with help from several FGCU errors.  After a timeout, Kazarian powered the Eagles with three-straight kills to tie the set at 7-7.
 
The teams fought intensely for the lead and were even at 8, 9 and 10 points before Kazarian and freshman Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) combined for three kills to claim the lead at 13-11. Barnes moved the score to 14-12 in favor of the Eagles before one final kill from Moeller sealed the win at 15-13.
 
"Marlene [Moeller] came off the bench and made some huge plays for us, including the last point of the match," Botsford added. "That was a much needed boost for our offense."
 
The Eagles continue the road trip with an afternoon bout at Lipscomb University on Saturday, Nov. 1.  The Bisons defeated Stetson 3-0 on Friday evening and currently share possession of first place with the Green and Blue.  The league leader will be determined in the match slated for 2 p.m. (CST).
 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
 
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his first year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUIPI, Indianapolis and most recently Colorado State. Botsford is a former professional volleyball player and is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University, where he earned a degree in Social Studies Education.  He earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.