Shelby Buschur prepares to attack against Bellarmine on Tuesday.
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Box score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – One streak ended, and another continued Tuesday night when Northern Kentucky University coasted to a sweep over Bellarmine in Regents Hall.
Kim Nemcek finished with 11 kills and hit .556 as NKU remained unbeaten (8-0) with a 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 win. The 14th-ranked Norse, who attacked at a .282 clip for the match, avenged two straight losses to Bellarmine with the convincing victory before a raucous crowd.
“It's a really big win because they had beaten us the last two years,” said NKU's
Shelby Buschur, who hammered down 10 kills and attacked at a .444 clip. “We had a great crowd tonight, and I thought we played very well.”
NKU equaled the volleyball program's best-ever start to a season with its eighth consecutive victory. The 1994 NKU squad also began the season 8-0 en route to a 30-3 overall record.
The Norse will have an opportunity to break the record Friday night in Owensboro, Ky., when they face Kentucky Wesleyan. NKU is 40-0 all-time against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Norse have not dropped a set to Kentucky Wesleyan since Oct. 23, 1993.
Kentucky Wesleyan, in fact, has lost 144 consecutive GLVC matches. The Panthers' last conference victory came against Bellarmine on Oct. 31, 2001.
On Tuesday night,
Noelle Peterson added seven kills and hit .353 for NKU, which is now 58-10 all-time against Bellarmine. Holding an 18-17 lead in the first set, NKU used a 7-3 run to close out the opening stanza.
The Norse hit .391 to easily win the second set and capped the sweep by jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the third stanza.
NKU junior setter
Jenna Schreiver dished out 32 assists, bringing her career total to 2,763. Schreiver, Nemcek and Buschur all recorded three blocks, while teammate
Anna Prickel served up three aces.
The NKU defense, which limited Bellarmine (5-2 overall, 1-2 GLVC) to a .142 hitting percentage, finished with a 7-1 edge in team blocks.
Kylee Tarantino continued her outstanding play in the back row by collecting 10 digs, while Prickel added nine digs.
“It's a really big rivalry, and they had beaten us the last two years,” NKU head coach Liz Holmes said. “It was a nice win for us, and the girls are gaining more confidence with each game.”
Nemcek, a senior middle hitter, now has 880 career kills at NKU. She also played one season at Winona State, where she recorded 275 kills as a freshman.
