NKU-SPU Box Score |
NKU-WCU Box Score
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team saw its season start on a bright note with a pair of victories on Day 1 of the Western Carolina Invitational.
NKU (2-0) opened the day with a decisive 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, 25-11) victory over Saint Peter's and followed that with a 3-1 (25-20, 33-35, 25-19, 25-12) win over host Western Carolina.
In the opener, NKU was led offensively by
Haley Lippert, who had 10 kills while hitting .562 for the match. Freshman outside hitter
Jayden Julian added eight kills and led the team with 22 attack attempts, while
Jenna Ruble had seven kills and hit a blistering .700 for the Norse.
Jenna Schreiver directed the offense masterfully, assisting on 32 of NKU's 41 kills.
The Norse were paced defensively by
Kylee Tarantino, who had 12 digs, and Kelly Morrisey, who added 10. NKU also added 15 service aces as a team and held the Peahens (1-1) to a .000 attack percentage.
The Norse set the tone early in each of the first two sets, using quick 7-0 runs to claim big margins en route to a pair of set victories by identical 25-9 scores. NKU hit .583 as a team in the opening set and finished with a .369 attack percentage on the match.
The run came late in Set 3, as the Norse poured on the pressure to close out the match with a 14-2 run which included three kills from Julian and a pair of service aces from
Shelby Buschur, who finished with four aces on the match to go with seven kills and a pair of solo blocks.
“The first match today was big for us to get our rotations down and get into our rhythms,” said head coach
Liz Hart. “We knew how tough Western Carolina was going to be, and the girls really stepped up big in both matches.”
The win was the first for NKU against a Division I opponent since Oct. 6, 1988, when NKU defeated Xavier, 3-0 (15-9, 15-8, 15-8), in Regents Hall.
The nightcap saw NKU jump out to a 9-5 lead on WCU (0-1) in Set 1 and maintain the advantage throughout the set in taking a 25-20 win in the opener. As a team, the Norse swung at a .367 pace to hold the Catamounts at bay.
WCU took control in Set 2, leading most of the way before NKU battled back from a 21-17 deficit to tie things up at 24-24. The Norse earned seven set points along the way, but couldn't find the measure of victory as WCU claimed the set with a three-point rally, 35-33.
The Norse came back undeterred in Set 3, trading point-for-point through 11-11 until a quick four-point rally gave the Norse the lead for good. NKU would then cruise through Set 4, hitting .405 in the final set.
Lippert was again the offensive spark plug, collecting a career-high 18 kills on 40 attempts in the match. Schreiver (59 assists, 16 digs) and
Kelly Morrissey (15 kills, 10 assists) each contributed double-doubles while Tarantino again shone defensively, this time with 25 digs.
Anna Prickel added 17 digs in the nightcap as the Norse won the defensive battle, 85-68. “We knew our strength was ball control,” commented Hart on the team's defensive efforts. “The back row really helped us stay in-system and dug a lot of balls out. We need to make sure we keep capitalizing on that.”
Tarantino now stands ninth all-time in career digs at NKU with 1,185 during her three years plus one match. The senior now needs just seven digs to pass NKU head coach
Liz Hart for eighth on the all-time list.
The Norse will close out play in the WCU Invitational on Saturday when they take on North Carolina A&T. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m.
