Match notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team embarks on its final regular-season tournament this weekend when the Norse participate in the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
NKU will open tournament play on Friday against Florida International, with first serve coming at 4 p.m. The Norse return on Saturday to take on the hosts Purdue at noon before closing out the tournament against Syracuse at 5 p.m. Links to live stats, audio and video are available at NKUNorse.com.
The Norse enter the weekend with a record of 4-6 after dropping a straight-set decision to Lipscomb on Wednesday to open Atlantic Sun Conference play.
Jenna Ruble and
Jayden Julian each had nine kills to lead the Norse offensively, while
Anna Prickel's 12 digs set the tone defensively for the Norse.
A WORD ABOUT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: The Panthers enter the weekend with a 5-4 record, including a loss to Jacksonville last weekend at the FIU Invitational. The Panthers are led offensively by Ksenia Sukhareva, who is averaging 3.55 kills per set while Kimberly Smith is hitting at a .391 clip on the season and leads the team with 32 total blocks. Jessica Mendoza anchors the back row, averaging 3.67 digs per set.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE PANTHERS: NKU's only meeting against FIU came in 1978 at a tournament in Princeton, N.J. The Panthers came away from a hard-fought match victorious, 15-12, 15-12, 15-13.
A WORD ABOUT PURDUE: The No. 21 ranked Boilermakers are 6-2 on the year after having swept through the University of South Florida invitational with wins over Florida Atlantic, Pittsburgh and USF. Purdue ranks 11
th in the nation as a team in blocks, knocking down an average of 2.89 blocks per set. Faye Adelaja leads the team individually in that category with 46 total blocks. On the offensive side, Val Nichol averages 2.71 kills per set.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BOILERMAKERS: NKU's only meeting against Purdue closed out the 1978 season at the AIAW National Tournament. It was a match in which the Boilermakers claimed victory, 15-9, 15-10.
A WORD ABOUT SYRACUSE: The Orange swept through the Candlewood Suites Challenge last weekend, defeating Saint Peter's, Delaware State and Chicago State to enter the weekend with a 4-5 record. As a team, the Orange are hitting .264 on the season, ranking 41
st nationally in the category. Nicolette Serratore has 95 kills on the season and Silvi Uattara averages a team-high 3.21 kills per set to lead the Orange in their respective offensive categories. Serratore also serves as SU's most effective defender with 77 digs on the year. NKU and Syracuse have never met on the volleyball court.
DIGGING HER WAY TO 1,000: Senior libero
Anna Prickel is on the cusp of becoming the 16
th player in Norse history to amass 1,000 digs over her collegiate career. Entering this weekend's action at the Active Ankle Challenge, Prickel needs 68 digs to reach the milestone. Jenny Jeremiah is the all-time digs leader at NKU, with 2,050 digs over her four-year career, spanning 1996-99.
