HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team wraps up its three-match home stand this weekend with contests against Atlantic Sun Conference foes USC Upstate and East Tennessee State.
Friday's contest against Upstate is set for 7 p.m., while Saturday's 3 p.m. start against ETSU is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day. NKU faculty and staff members can display their All Card at the gate and receive free admission for themselves and up to four family members. Live stats and ASun.TV links for each match will be available at NKUNorse.com.
The Norse enter the weekend having secured their 20
th consecutive 20-win season after a 3-0 win over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night.
Shelby Buschur led NKU with 12 kills while
Kelly Morrissey added 10 kills. Combined with a 7-4 A-Sun mark, NKU is hoping to put together the winningest debut season by an A-Sun team since Florida Gulf Coast went 23-3 in 2007.
A WORD ABOUT UPSTATE: The Spartans (10-13, 5-6 A-Sun) enters the weekend having won four of their last five matching, including a stunning upset over ETSU last Friday. Kayla McAvoy, who had a team-high 18 kills and six blocks in the ETSU win, remains one of the A-Sun's most dangers front-row players, posting a .348 hitting percentage against league foes.
LAST TIME AGAINST UPSTATE: Buscher and Morrissey led the way with 15 kills each as NKU picked up a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) win on Oct. 6 in the only previous meeting between the teams.
Haley Lippert added 10 kills and
Jayden Julian came close to a double-double of her own with nine kills and 16 digs.
Jenna Schreiver, who set up 53 assists to go with nine digs.
A WORD ABOUT ETSU: At 7-4 in league play, the Buccaneers are neck-and-neck with the Norse for third place in the conference standings. ETSU (16-9 overall) remains one of the top blocking teams in the nation, averaging 2.7 rejections per set to rank 30
th in Division I. Meredith Hardy leads the front-line defense, ranking 25
th in the country with 1.7 blocks per set. Offensively, Megan Devine leads the A-Sun with 16 double-doubles and a 4.0 kill per set average.
LAST TIME AGAINST ETSU: Megan Devine pounded home 19 kills and added 22 digs to lead East Tennessee State to a 3-2 (26-28, 25-21, 26-24, 21-25, 15-13) win on Oct. 5. Morrissey led NKU with a career-high 22 kills and came close to a triple-double, adding eight digs and seven assists. Buschur added 12 kills and had a season-best six blocks. All told, NKU had four in double-figures for kills as
Jenna Ruble added 12 kills and
Haley Lippert chipped in 10. The ETSU win leveled the all-time series with the Norse, 1-1.
PUTTING A BOW ON IT: NKU's win over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday wrapped up NKU's non-conference play in 2012. The Norse compiled an astounding 13-1 record against non-conference opponents, including a win over defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Morehead State.
FRESHMAN CONTRIBUTION:
Jayden Julian has become somewhat of a freshman phenom for the Norse, putting home 166 kills this season. It marks the most kills by an NKU freshman since
Noelle Peterson put home 279 kills in 2008.
THE BEST KIND OF HELP:
Jenna Schreiver has continued to be one of the strongest setters in the A-Sun, averaging 11.09 assists per set against conference opponents, ranking second in the league.
