Weekend Notes (PDF)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team will make the short trip north to Oxford, Ohio, for a pair of non-conference matches on Saturday. The Norse will take on Evansville at 11 a.m., closing out the day against the hosts Miami (Ohio) at 7 p.m.
Links to live stats and pay-per-view video will be available at nkunorse.com.
The Norse enter the weekend's action after picking up a 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22) victory in their home opener against Wright State on Tuesday. The NKU freshman class shone on the night, as
Tristen Simpson led the Norse with 12 kills while hitting .391 on the evening.
Taylor Snyder picked up her second double-double in three matches, chipping in 30 assists and 10 digs.
Keely Creamer rounded out the superlative performances with five total blocks. As a team, the Norse served up 12 aces as well.
A WORD ABOUT EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces enter the weekend with a 2-2 record after dropping a five-set decision to Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday. Ashley Ring eclipsed the 20-kill mark for the second time on the season in that match and leads the team with 3.38 kills per set. Meaghan Holmes leads the defense at the net, totaling 23 blocks for a team that is outblocking its opposition by a better than 2-to-1 margin.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE PURPLE ACES: Kelly Morrissey collected 18 kills and attacked at a .385 clip to spark the Norse to a 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 26-24) win over Evansville on Sept. 1, 2012, marking the seventh consecutive win to open the 2012 season for NKU.
Gennie Galfano and
Shelby Buschur each added nine kills while
Anna Prickel served up the match-winning ace, one of her three on the match. With the win, NKU tied the all-time series with Evansville, 2-2.
A WORD ABOUT MIAMI: The RedHawks are a perfect 3-0 on the season after sweeping through the Belmont Invitational with wins over Gardner-Webb, Memphis and host Belmont. Miami collected 32 total blocks in the tournament and held opponents to a miniscule .075 hitting percentage. Paige Hill is the team's top front-line threat, averaging 2.8 kills and 2.3 blocks per set.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE REDHAWKS: The Norse last saw the RedHawks on the court almost 32 years ago, when Miami claimed a 15-6, 15-5 victory on Oct. 20, 1981. Despite the setback, the Norse lead in the all-time series, 6-4.
CONFERENCE NUMBERS: Despite the tough draw in last weekend's action at the Xavier Invitational, NKU is holding its own in comparison to the rest of the Atlantic Sun Conference competition. The Norse rank in the top half of the league in digs (4
th, 14.60/set), blocks (4
th, 1.47) and hitting percentage (5
th, .168).
ACE IN THE HOLE: The 12-ace performance against Wright State marked NKU's most dominant serving performance in more than a year, dating back to the 2012 season opener against Saint Peter's when the Norse put down 15 service aces.
PRICKEL PICKS IT UP: Ever since a career-high 27-dig night to close out the 2012 season at Florida Gulf Coast, senior defensive specialist
Anna Prickel has stepped up her game defensively, raking in double-digit digs in each of her first four matches this season. On the season, Prickel is averaging 3.93 digs per set, ranking fourth among A-Sun defenders.
FRONT-ROW FRESHMEN: The new faces on the front line for the Norse are making an immediate impact as
Taylor Snyder,
Tristen Simpson and
Keely Creamer have combined for 40 percent of the team's kills (66 of 167) and almost half of the team's total blocks (19 of 39). Snyder's efforts also earned recognition on the Xavier Invitational all-tournament team last weekend.
