HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball bus heads east to open its Division I era at the WCU Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C.
The Norse will take on Saint Peter's and the host Western Carolina on Friday before wrapping up the weekend against North Carolina A&T on Saturday. Match times, live stats and video are all available at NKUNorse.com. Additionally, fans can follow NKU volleyball throughout the weekend on their
Facebook page.
Head coach
Liz Hart returns a strong core of upperclassman talent, beginning with senior setter
Jenna Schreiver, who was a Division II All-America selection last year. Schreiver ranked fifth in all of Division II with 11.69 assists per set and keyed a Norse offense that hit .290 on the season, good for eighth-best in the nation. Solid on defense as well, Schreiver posted seven double-doubles as well.
Junior middle hitter Shelby Buscher will be a favored target for Schreiver this weekend and throughout the season. Buschur is the team's top returning attacker from last season, posting a .376 hitting percentage on 320 kills, earning All-America honorable mention honors in the process.
In defense, the Norse will look to senior
Kylee Tarantino and junior
Anna Prickel to solidify the back row this season. Tarantino averaged 4.38 digs per set last season while Prickel posted 2.21 digs per set as well. As a unit, the Norse held opponents to just a .179 hitting percentage last year.
STRONG OPENING ACT: NKU is looking to win its second-straight regular-season opener, having defeated Ashland, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-16) to open the 2011 slate. NKU is 26-11 all-time in season-opening matches and has won four of its last five.
PRESEASON POLL: NKU was picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason coaches poll. Five-time defending regular-season champion Lipscomb was again tabbed by the coaches as the league's elite team.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Despite a rich history of facing Division I institutions in the days of the AIAW, this weekend will mark the first time NKU has faced any of the institutions currently representing the MAAC or MEAC conferences. It will be the first meeting for the Norse against each of their three opponents this weekend as well.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach
Liz Hart
On the team through preseason practice: “The team is looking great. We just had some meetings with our players throughout the week and they're all excited to get the season started. We're looking forward to playing against someone besides ourselves.”
On game planning for a new division: “I think for this weekend the biggest thing is to focus on ourselves and work on our weaknesses and make sure we capitalize on our strength. If we have a chance to break down some video and put together some scouting reports, we will. If not, we'll just play hard and do the best we can.”
On the upperclassmen returning: “It's really important to have that amount of experience returning with our six seniors. We lost our ousides, but other than that, everyone else is back, so it's really nice to have that on the court in case we need to make some change out there on the court, I feel confident that they'll be able to adjust.”
On the new faces: “Well, we have four players competing for those outside positions, so they'll keep working hard in practice and we'll see who will step up.”
On the road: “We're excited. Our first road trip is about six hours, so we're used to that from our old conference. Then we're home for a while before we take some nice trips up the east coast when we head up to Harvard and get to see Boston and Providence. It's a lot of traveling but we're going to try to have some fun along the way.”
