Kim Nemcek and her NKU teammates begin GLVC Tournament play Friday.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team meets Rockhurst in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament this Friday at 6 p.m.
The GLVC Tournament is being held at Romeoville, Ill., and hosted by top-seeded Lewis. NKU (20-11 overall, 10-4 GLVC) enters the event as the No. 4 seed, while Rockhurst (20-13 overall, 9-5 GLVC) is the No. 5 seed.
The winner of the GLVC Tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. NKU defeated Rockhurst on the road earlier this season, taking a five-set decision against the Hawks in Kansas City, Mo.
The NKU/Rockhurst winner faces the Lewis/Saint Joseph's winner at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the GLVC Tournament semifinals.
GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU has won seven GLVC Tournament championships, the most recent coming in 2001.
THE STREAK CONTINUES: NKU extended its streak of consecutive 20-win seasons to 17 with a four-set victory at Missouri S&T last Friday.
GLVC LEADERS: NKU junior middle hitter
Kim Nemcek leads the GLVC in kills per set at 3.88. Nemcek has 439 kills this season, and she is attacking at a .319 clip.
Norse freshman defensive specialist
Kylee Tarantino is No. 1 in the GLVC in service aces at 0.49 per set. NKU leads the GLVC with a total of 243 aces going into the postseason.
A YEAR AGO IN THE GLVC TOURNMENT: On Nov. 14, 2008, Southern Indiana closed the fifth set with a 9-4 run to defeat NKU, 25-23, 18-25, 18-25, 26-24, 15-12 in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament at Romeoville, Ill. The Screaming Eagles rallied from an 8-6 deficit in the final set to beat the Norse for the first time since 2004 and advance to the GLVC Tournament semifinals.
NKU grabbed an 8-6 lead in the fifth set after a kill by
Noelle Peterson, but Southern Indiana countered with a 5-1 run to take an 11-9 advantage. The Norse pulled to within 13-12 on a kill by
Kristina Eisenmenger, but the Screaming Eagles finished off the first-round upset with consecutive kills from Kathi Hindman and Meg Buschman.
Kelsey Wesaw led NKU with 19 kills and attacked at a .289 clip.
Kim Nemcek added 14 kills, eight blocks and nine digs for the Norse, who hit .234 as a team.
EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST ROCKHURST: On Oct. 2,
Sarah Drennen hammered down a career-high 23 kills and attacked at a .409 clip as NKU defeated Rockhurst, 26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 15-10, at Kansas City, Mo.
Kim Nemcek added 15 kills and 16 digs for NKU, which used a 5-0 run in the fifth set to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 lead.
Drennen collected three kills in the fifth set. The Norse attacked at a .235 clip in the fifth set, while Rockhurst hit .000 in the final stanza.
Nemcek hit .300 for the match and added two service aces.
Jenna Schreiver recorded 60 assists as NKU hit .250 for the match.
Noelle Peterson chipped in 14 kills for NKU, while teammate
Chelsea Clark recorded 13 digs.
NKU is now 3-3 all-time against Rockhurst. The Norse have beaten the Hawks in their last two meetings, with both wins coming on the road.
