HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team dealt out some serious payback to Missouri-St. Louis in Regents Hall on Thursday night.
NKU, which had lost the past two meetings with Missouri-St. Louis, attacked at a .384 clip for the match and handed the visitors an emphatic 25-16, 25-14, 25-21 loss. The 25th-ranked Norse improved to 16-3 overall and extended their winning streak to seven. NKU is also 6-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Missouri-St. Louis dropped to 13-3 overall, 7-1 in the GLVC. The Tritons hit just .096 and watched their seven-match winning streak halted by the motivated Norse.
Noelle Peterson and
Kelsey Wesaw combined for 27 kills and five blocks to lead NKU. Peterson, a freshman outside hitter from Milwaukee, Wis., finished with 14 kills and attacked at a .545 clip for NKU. Wesaw, a 6-foot-3 senior from Lansing, Mich., added 13 kills and a .550 hitting percentage.
Natalie Forbes dished out 38 assists and directed the NKU offense to an overwhelming performance Thursday night. The Norse attacked at a .500 clip in the opening set as Wesaw collected five of her kills.
Peterson and
Kim Nemcek added four kills each in the first set as NKU rolled to the nine-point victory. Nemcek finished with seven kills, five blocks and a .333 hitting percentage. She also added seven digs.
Wesaw and Peterson continued to hurt the Tritons with their attacking in the second set as the Norse coasted to a 25-14 win. Each player collected four kills in that set, while Peterson, a 5-foot-8 leaper, added three block assists in the second stanza.
Missouri-St. Louis toughened up in the third set, but Peterson slammed down six more kills to help NKU finish off the sweep. Wesaw ended the match by collecting her 13th kill off an assist from Forbes.
A year ago, Missouri-St. Louis upset then-No. 22 NKU 30-25, 30-27, 30-22, at St. Louis, Mo. The Tritons also swept the Norse in 2006.
Kristina Eisenmenger added eight kills and hit .316 for NKU. Forbes and
Chelsea Clark each recorded eight digs for the Norse, who have won 15 of their last 16 matches.
Eisenmenger, a senior right-side hitter from Notre Dame Academy, now has 1,505 career kills at NKU. She needs 31 kills to pass Cammi Welter (1,535) for sixth place in Norse history.
NKU returns to action Friday night at 7 p.m. against Missouri S&T in Regents Hall. The Norse conclude the weekend homestand Saturday at 3 p.m. when Quincy visits Regents Hall.
