Shelby Buschur (left) and Noelle Peterson (1) defend at the net.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University closes out the home volleyball season this weekend, beginning Friday night with a 7 p.m. showdown against Southern Indiana in Regents Hall.
The Norse play their home finale Saturday at 3 p.m. against Kentucky Wesleyan.
NKU is ranked 18th in the latest AVCA Division II national poll and is 22-4 overall after sweeping Saint Joseph's on the road Saturday afternoon. The Norse are 12-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
NKU is No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division II Midwest Region poll. Hillsdale is No. 1 in that poll, followed by Ferris State, Indianapolis, NKU and Lewis in the top five.
Southern Indiana, which is No. 6 in the Midwest Region poll, is 19-8 overall. The Screaming Eagles are 13-3 in the GLVC.
SENIORITY RULES: NKU's three seniors –
Sarah Drennen,
Kim Nemcek and
Noelle Peterson – will be honored prior to the Southern Indiana match on Friday night.
Drennen, Nemcek and Peterson have combined for 3,159 career kills at NKU. They have also led the Norse volleyball program to its 19th consecutive 20-win season. Drennen enters Friday night with 966 kills, while Peterson has 1,201 kills. Nemcek, out with an injury, has a total of 992 career kills at NKU.
ATOP THE GLVC: NKU junior setter
Jenna Schreiver continues to lead the GLVC in assists at 11.73 per set. The Norse's
Kim Nemcek is atop the GLVC in hitting percentage at .448, followed by teammate
Shelby Buschur at .408.
SERIES PERFECTION: NKU is 41-0 all-time against Kentucky Wesleyan after sweeping past the Panthers earlier this season in Owensboro, Ky. NKU has not dropped a set to Kentucky Wesleyan since Oct. 23, 1993.
10 YEARS AND COUNTING: Going into this weekend, Kentucky Wesleyan has lost 157 consecutive GLVC matches. The Panthers' last conference victory came against Bellarmine on Oct. 31, 2001.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST USI: Earlier this season in Evansville, Ind., NKU posted a 25-21, 25-18, 25-16 victory over Southern Indiana. Drennen and Peterson combined for 32 kills and a blazing .588 hitting percentage to lead NKU.
Drennen collected 19 kills and attacked at a .531 clip, while Peterson added 13 kills in 21 attempts without an error for a .619 hitting percentage.
NKU holds a 35-11 advantage in the all-time series with the Screaming Eagles.
DOMINANT MIDDLE: Southern Indiana features senior middle hitter Danielle LaGrange, who averages 3.82 kills per set to go along with a .342 hitting percentage. LaGrange is also No. 8 in the GLVC in blocks at 0.87 per set.
UP NEXT: NKU begins GLVC Tournament action Nov. 11 at the site of the No. 1 seed. Indianapolis (14-2 GLVC) can wrap up the No. 1 seed by winning twice this weekend.
