NKU faces nemesis Lewis, which has beaten the Norse four straight times.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - If Northern Kentucky University is to avoid a one-and-done trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament, the Norse will have to beat a team that has owned them in recent years.
That team is Lewis, which has beaten NKU four consecutive times. The Flyers defeated the Norse in both regular-season meetings this fall.
NKU and Lewis meet Friday at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the Midwest Regional at Hillsdale, Mich. NKU enters the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 25-5 overall record and is No. 16 in the latest AVCA Division II national poll.
The Norse finished 14-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference this season and will be making their second straight trip to the NCAA postseason event. This is the 11th trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the NKU volleyball program.
Lewis, which is No. 17 in the national poll, owns a 25-6 overall record going into Friday. The NKU/Lewis winner will meet the Hillsdale/Missouri S&T survivor in the regional semifinals Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The championship match is set for 4 p.m. Sunday.
NCAA HISTORY: NKU has participated in the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 previous times (1981, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '03, '07, '08 and '10). NKU won regional championships in both 1998 and '99. The Norse advanced to the national semifinals in '99 before losing to eventual national champion BYU-Hawaii.
NKU/LEWIS SERIES: The Norse hold a 30-19 lead in the all-time series against the Flyers, but NKU has not defeated Lewis since the 2008 NCAA Division II Tournament. The Flyers posted a four-set win against NKU in Romeoville, Ill., on Sept. 24. Lewis completed the regular-season sweep Oct. 21 by rallying for a five-set victory at NKU.
The Norse have not defeated Lewis since Nov. 21, 2008, when NKU swept the Flyers in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Allendale, Mich.
AGAINST THE MIDWEST REGION FIELD: NKU is 3-0 against Southern Indiana, 1-2 against Indianapolis, 0-2 against Lewis, 1-0 against Missouri S&T, 1-0 against Ferris State and 1-0 against Saginaw Valley State.
LAST YEAR'S NCAA TOURAMENT: On Nov. 19, 2010, Rebeccah Rapin recorded 16 kills and attacked at a .500 clip as Grand Valley State eliminated NKU from the NCAA Division II Tournament on Friday with a three-set victory against the Norse.
Rapin added seven blocks for No. 2 seed Grand Valley State, which posted a 25-21, 26-24, 25-23 win against No. 7 seed NKU in the first round of the Midwest Regional. The Lakers finished with 11 team blocks in that victory.
MIDWEST REGION LINK
