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CINCINNATI – It took nearly 27 years for Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati to renew their rivalry on the volleyball court, and the two teams produced a five-set thriller to mark the occasion Saturday afternoon in the UC Invitational at Fifth Third Arena.
Tied at 7-all in the fifth set, Northern Kentucky used a 7-3 run to ignite its 15-13 victory and cap the 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 25-13, 15-13 triumph over Cincinnati. The Norse's balanced attack featured five players who finished with double-digit kill totals.
Megan Wanstrath led the Norse attack with 14 kills and a .355 hitting percentage. She also converted an attack at match point to give Northern Kentucky the win as the Norse improved to 4-4 overall.
Jayden Julian collected 11 kills, including four in the decisive fifth set. Julian hammered down three kills during the 7-3 run that turned a 7-all tie into a 14-10 Northern Kentucky advantage.
Keely Creamer (12),
Jenna Ruble (10) and
Tristen Simpson (10) also had double-figure kill performances as Northern Kentucky hit .229 for the match. The Norse and Bearcats had not played since Sept. 16, 1986, when Northern Kentucky rallied for a 4-15, 15-10, 15-13, 15-9 win at Cincinnati.
The all-time series between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati is now tied at 6-all.
Northern Kentucky setter
Taylor Snyder registered a double-double with 52 assists and 10 digs. Julian also added a double-double with 12 digs and her 11 kills. Creamer attacked at a .333 clip and recoded five blocks.
Kaela Jo Freppon's strong serving resulted in four aces, and she also finished with eight digs.
Anna Prickel anchored the Norse defense and collected a team-leading 17 digs.
Me'Ashah Nicholson hit .371 with 17 kills for Cincinnati, while teammate Ciara Hill added 16 kills and attacked at a .341 clip. Amelia Wegman led the Bearcats (0-10) with 19 kills and 15 digs.
Trailing 2-1 in sets, Northern Kentucky hit .500 in the fourth stanza to take a 25-13 win and force the fifth set. Wanstrath sparked the fourth-set victory with five kills, while Creamer converted four attacks in five attempts. The Norse finished with 14 kills in the fourth set with just one error in 26 attempts.
It marked the third consecutive five-set contest for Northern Kentucky, which defeated Navy in five on Friday night and lost at Miami (Ohio) in five last weekend. Prior to Saturday, the Norse had not played three straight five-setters since the 1989 season.
Northern Kentucky takes on Cleveland State at 7 p.m. Saturday to wrap up play in the UC Invitational. Cleveland State won the Horizon League championship last season and participated in the NCAA Tournament.
