Box score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. –
Kelly Morrissey turned in her eighth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 18 digs to lead the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) win over USC Upstate in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Saturday.
With the win, NKU improves to 17-3 overall and 5-2 in A-Sun play, gaining a measure of momentum before hosting their first home match in 20 days this Friday against A-Sun foe Stetson.
Shelby Buschur shared the team lead with 15 kills while
Haley Lippert added 10.
Jayden Julian came close to a double-double of her own with nine kills and 16 digs, as did
Jenna Schreiver, who set up 53 assists to go with nine digs.
Anna Prickel aided the defensive effort with 17 digs while
Kylee Tarantino had 16.
The Norse came out hitting strong, attacking at a .318 clip in Set 1 before following up with a .414 hitting percentage in Set 2, both NKU victories. The Norse had to fight off a 7-0 run from the Spartans (6-12, 1-5 A-Sun) to hold on for the win in Set 1, while a 9-4 run in Set 2 closed out another NKU win.
Upstate's Kayla McAvoy, the A-Sun's leading hitter, picked up five of her 13 kills in a 25-21 Set 3 victory. The Spartans were led by Kayla Eversgerd, who had 16 kills and 18 digs in the effort.
Set 4 saw NKU appear to snatch control with a 7-1 opening run, fueled by three Buschur kills and four Spartan attack errors. Upstate kept the pressure on, though, and eventually took a 22-21 lead late. Morrissey was quick to turn things around with a set-tying kill to spark a 4-1 run and take the match.
