Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Box score

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Shelby Buschur slammed down 24 kills and attacked at a .606 clip Friday night as the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team posted a 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 victory against Drury in a key Great Lakes Valley Conference match.

Buschur also added six blocks and dominated the net offensively for NKU, which improved to 10-7 overall, 3-1 in the GLVC. Buschur, a sophomore middle hitter from St. Henry, Ohio, entered Friday's match leading the GLVC in kills per set at 3.84.

The Norse hit .387 as a team and improved to 6-1 all-time against Drury (14-5 overall, 3-2 GLVC). NKU also remained unbeaten (3-0) against Drury in matches played in Regents Hall.

Noelle Peterson added 14 kills and hit .423 for NKU, which is 7-1 at home this season. Jenna Schreiver directed the offense and collected 53 assists for the Norse, and she added four solo blocks.

Drury hit just .171 for the match, but the Panthers served up seven aces and took advantage of 14 service errors from NKU. With the fourth set tied at 20-all, NKU used a 5-1 run to wrap up the victory.

Buschur and Sarah Drennen combined to block an attack by Kyrie Hopkins at match point. NKU finished with 12 total team blocks, including five solos. The Norse also hit .407 in the fourth set to pull out the win.

Hopkins led Drury with 16 kills, and she hit .367 for the match.

Sophomore libero Kylee Tarantino finished with 28 digs for NKU, which finished with a 54-34 advantage in that category. Tarantino has now recorded 99 digs in her last four matches.

NKU plays host to Rockhurst in another GLVC showdown Saturday at 3 p.m. The Norse also meet Robert Morris (Ill.) at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by a 3 p.m. contest against Urbana.