Box score
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – 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 over Northern Kentucky University in Atlantic Sun Conference volleyball action on Friday night.
Kelly Morrissey led NKU (16-3, 4-2 A-Sun) with a career-high 22 kills and came close to a triple-double, adding eight digs and seven assists.
Shelby 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.
Defensively,
Kylee Tarantino led the way once more with 18 digs.
Anna Prickel dug out 13 attacks while
Jenna Schreiver posted her fifth double-double of the season with 53 assists and 12 digs.
Khadijah Wiley added 18 kills for ETSU (12-7, 3-2 A-Sun), while Jamie Rutledge added a double-double for the Bucs with 64 assists and 11 digs.
The Norse trailed early in Set 1 but never allowed ETSU more than a three-point lead. NKU took its first lead of the night on a solo block by Schreiver to make it 20-19. The teams battled point-for-point to 26-26 before an ETSU attack error and a
Jayden Julian kill gave the set to the Norse, 28-26.
The Bucs bounced back hard in Set 2, racing out to an 18-9 lead en route to a 25-21 set victory. NKU was held to a negative hitting percentage in a set for the first time this year, getting just six kills and committing eight attack errors.
The Norse maintained their never-say-die attitude after the intermission. A late 6-2 run in Set 3 gave the Norse life, but ETSU was able to hold on for a 26-24 edge, while NKU rattled off a 7-2 run late in Set 4 to push the match to a decisive fifth set.
ETSU pushed out to a 7-3 lead early in Set 5 and never trailed after that point. Another late run by the Norse, this time 5-2 in nature, brought NKU within one point at 14-13, but Meredith Hardy finished the match off with a kill to win it.
The Norse finish off their weekend road trip with a Saturday matinee at USC Upstate. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.
