Weekend notes (PDF)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Atlantic Sun Conference play begins in earnest this weekend for the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team, which travels to take on North Florida on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Jacksonville on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Friday's match against North Florida will be available free-of-charge on ASun.TV. Links for live stats for both matches will be available at nkunorse.com.
The Norse (5-8, 0-1 A-Sun) halted a four-match losing streak on Saturday with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Syracuse to close out the Active Ankle Challenge, hosted by Purdue University.
Keely Creamer had a career-high 17 kills and
Taylor Snyder dished out a career-best 61 assists en route to her sixth double-double of the season.
NKU's only A-Sun match to this point in the season was a 3-0 loss at the hands of Lipscomb.
A WORD ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA: The Ospreys are off to a 3-9 start on the season with an 0-2 record in A-Sun play after dropping matches to Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast last weekend. North Florida is led offensively by Anna Budinska, who averages 3.79 kills per set, ranking third in the A-Sun in that category. Cameron McGuire is one of the league's top blockers, averaging better than a block a set for the Ospreys.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE OSPREYS: North Florida claimed a 30-28 win in Set 1 and powered on to a 3-1 victory over NKU back on Oct. 20, 2012.
Kelly Morrissey led the Norse with 15 kills while
Kylee Tarantino had 21 digs. The result knotted the all-time series between the clubs at 3-3.
A WORD ABOUT JACKSONVILLE: The Dolphins sport a 10-2 overall record and are 1-1 in the A-Sun, having defeated Florida Gulf Coast before losing a five-setter to Stetson last weekend. Sammie Strausbaugh leads the Dolphins overall, averaging 3.44 kills and 3.07 digs per set. Kylie Jacob has 50 blocks and ranks second in the league at 1.11 blocks per set. JU is the top serving team in the league, averaging 1.87 aces per set and boasting three of the top five individuals in the same category (Alyssa Robertson, Strausbaugh, Kendall Courtney).
LAST TIME AGAINST THE DOLPHINS: The Norse rallied from down 2-0 to take a five-set victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 19, 2012. It was the first time NKU had accomplished such a comeback since the 2009 season.
Jenna Ruble had 13 kills and added a career-high eight blocks in the victory, while
Jenna Schreiver had a double-double with 50 assists and 11 digs. NKU swept the season series last year and leads JU all-time, 2-0.
CAREER DAY FOR CREAMER: Freshman middle hitter
Keely Creamer led the Norse with a career-high 17 kills in NKU's five-set win over Syracuse on Saturday. It marked the third time in double-digits for kills for the Grove City, Ohio, native. Creamer has 103 kills on the season to rank third on the team.
SNYDER STAYS WITH THE LEADERS: Freshman setter
Taylor Snyder is one of just four freshman listed among the top-10 statistical rankings among A-Sun players. Snyder is averaging 10.04 assists per set on the year, ranking fourth among league setters. Snyder is a two-time A-Sun Freshman of the Week honoree.
PRICKEL ON PACE FOR MILESTONE: Senior libero
Anna Prickel is on the cusp of becoming the 16th player in Norse history to amass 1,000 digs over her collegiate career. Entering this weekend's action, Prickel needs 25 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.
SERVICE IS THE KEY: NKU's service game has been a big part of their success so far this season. The Norse have won all three matches this season in which they have served up more service aces than their opponents.
FIFTH SET FIREPOWER: The Norse have played well in their five-set matches so far this season, compiling a 3-1 record when they run out the string on a match. NKU is hitting at a .241 clip in that final set while holding their opponents to just an .091 hitting percentage.
SUNNY SIDE OF THE SCOREBOARD: NKU has seen marked success in the Sunshine State since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. Last year, the Norse went 3-1 in games played in Florida, including a dramatic 3-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast to close out the 2012 season. Overall, NKU was 6-2 against teams from Florida last year, with the losses coming at home against FGCU and on the road at North Florida.
DOUBLE BARREL: When the Norse get the freshmen into the act the results have been strong for the Norse. In two matches this season, freshmen
Keely Creamer and
Tristen Simpson have made it to double-digit kills, and both have ended in NKU victories. Against Cincinnati on Sept. 14, Creamer collected 12 kills while Simpson added 10, and against Syracuse on Sept. 21, Creamer had her career day with 17 kills while Simpson added 13 kills of her own.
