Northern Kentucky University Athletics

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Sarah Drennen and Kim Nemcek combined for 29 kills and eight blocks Saturday afternoon as No. 24 Northern Kentucky University remained unbeaten by outlasting No. 20 Indianapolis in a five-set thriller.

NKU rallied for a 25-17, 16-25, 16-25, 25-18, 15-8 victory in a battle of nationally ranked teams. The Norse attacked at a blazing .714 clip in the fifth set to improve to 7-0 overall, 2-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Nemcek collected five kills in the fifth set and hit .833 in the decisive stanza. NKU bolted out to a 9-3 lead in the fifth set, and Nemcek capped the win by pounding down the final point off an assist from Jenna Schreiver.

Nemcek, a senior middle hitter, finished with 13 kills and hit .500 for the match. She also added six blocks and two service aces.

Drennen, a senior outside hitter, keyed the NKU comeback with 16 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.

“Indianapolis is a big rival, and we knew they have a great team,” Drennen said. “Once we forced the fifth set, I knew we were going to win.”

Indianapolis (2-4, 1-1 GLVC) used the 1-2 offensive punch of Kristina Kerrigan (25 kills, .383 hitting percentage) and Kristina Hefferan (24 kills, .465 hitting percentage) to win the second and third sets by identical scores of 25-16. The Greyhounds attacked at a .645 clip in the second set and followed that with a .484 hitting percentage in the third to take a 2-1 lead.

“We came out in the first game and played very well, but Indianapolis did a great job in the next two sets,” NKU head coach Liz Holmes said. “Our seniors kept their composure when we fell behind. There's something to be said about playing for four years, having experience and having been through those situations. They did a great job leading us and making big plays.”

Shelby Buschur added 12 kills and hit .370 for NKU, which attacked at a .338 clip for the match. Noelle Peterson finished with 11 kills, while teammate Gennie Galfano added 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage.

Schreiver finished with 59 assists, while Kylee Tarantino keyed the NKU defense with 22 digs. Kelly Morrissey added nine digs and served up a pair of aces for the Norse, who had lost three straight to Indianapolis prior to Saturday.

NKU now holds a 36-12 lead in the all-time series against Indianapolis. The Norse are now 7-0 for the first time since 1999, when NKU advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

“We felt like we needed to challenged, and we fought back and finished strong,” said Holmes, whose team had not dropped a set until Saturday. “This will definitely boost our team's confidence.”