Weekend notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team gears up for its final road trip of the 2013 season this weekend as the Norse travel to take on Atlantic Sun Conference rivals South Carolina Upstate and East Tennessee State.
Friday's match at USC Upstate is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3. NKU will then travel to ETSU for a 3 p.m. start on Saturday to close out the weekend. Links to live stats and video are available at NKUNorse.com.
NKU stands at 10-17 overall and 5-9 in A-Sun play after splitting action on the road last weekend. Three Norse had career performances in a 3-2 comeback win over Mercer.
Jayden Julian posted 22 kills to set a new high-water mark and added 13 kills, while
Jenna Ruble had a career best 18 kills and attacked at a .368 clip.
Kaela Jo Freppon tied a career high with 17 digs.
Saturday saw the Norse take a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Kennesaw State. Julian led the Norse with 13 kills while
Tristen Simpson added 10 kills and
Taylor Snyder picked up her 17
th double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs.
A WORD ABOUT UPSTATE: The Spartans are 4-20 on the season and 3-11 in A-Sun play after dropping matches at Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast last weekend. Kayla Eversgerd continues to lead the offense, posting 3.58 kills per set to rank fifth among A-Sun attackers. Freshman Emily Koelling averages 2.50 kills per set as well. Lexi Gober posts 8.82 assists per set and stands eighth in the league in service aces at 25.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE SPARTANS: Julian and Ruble combined for 24 kills and 10 blocks as NKU rallied for a five-set victory over Upstate on Oct. 5. Freppon collected a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs as the Norse hit .210 for the match, compared to .186 for the Spartans. Eversgard led Upstate with 18 kills while Javon Gates added 15 kills. NKU has won each of the three meetings against USC Upstate.
A WORD ABOUT ETSU: The Buccaneers have wrapped up a spot in the A-Sun Tournament in two weeks and are now playing for positioning with a 13-1 conference record to go with a 19-7 overall mark. Postseason play was solidified for ETSU last weekend thanks to five-set victories over FGCU and Stetson. Megan Devine continues her quest to repeat as A-Sun Player of the Year, currently ranking second in the league and 15
th in the nation in kills (4.51/set), while Meredith Hardy leads the A-Sun and ranks 11
th in the nation in blocks (1.48/set) and also ranks third in the league in hitting percentage at .341. Jamie Rutledge averages 11 assists per set, ranking second in the A-Sun.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BUCCANEERS: NKU dropped a tightly fought match against ETSU, 32-30, 13-25, 25-23, 25-23, on Oct. 4 in Regents Hall. Devine accounted for 19 kills, 16 digs and six blocks for the Buccaneers, who rallied from an 18-13 deficit in Set 4 to take the win.
Jayden Julian finished with 17 kills and a .394 hitting percentage while
Keely Creamer and
Jenna Ruble each added 12 kills for Northern Kentucky, with Creamer hitting .476. The result gives ETSU a 3-1 lead in the all-time series, including wins in each of the last three matches.
HITTING HARD AND OFTEN: Jenna Ruble has remained as one of the most efficient hitters in the league this year, currently ranking seventh in the A-Sun with a .308 hitting percentage. She's kept up the pace by hitting over .300 in each of her last three matches, and is the only Norse player to hit with that efficiency. During the span, Ruble totaled 35 kills.
SNYDER SHARES AND SERVES: Taylor Snyder has maintained her position at No. 4 in the A-Sun's assists list, averaging 10.42 assists per set entering this weekend's play. However, the freshman has started to make a run up the charts for service aces. Snyder now has 30 service aces on the season, ranking her ninth among A-Sun players. Snyder is the highest ranked A-Sun freshman in either category.
NEARING NINE: Anna Prickel recently cracked the top 10 for career digs at NKU and now stands at 1,176 as her playing time for the Norse nears its conclusion. Prickel now needs 26 digs to pass head coach
Liz Hart for ninth all-time and 27 digs to pass Kristin Koralewski for eighth.
