HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Hot on the heels of a key victory last weekend, the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team closes out its nonconference schedule on Tuesday, welcoming Eastern Kentucky to Regents Hall for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Live stats for the match will be available at NKUNorse.com. Fans can follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for up-to-the-minute reports from the match.
NKU enters the match with a 14-7 record after picking up a dramatic 3-2 victory over Atlantic Sun Conference rival Lipscomb.
Jenna Ruble poured in a career-high 21 kills while attacking at a .486 clip, and
Jayden Julian added 19 kills of her own to help the Norse come back from a 2-0 deficit and hand Lipscomb its first conference loss.
The win snapped a two-match slide for the Norse and pushed their conference record back to .500 at 4-4.
A WORD ABOUT EASTERN KENTUCKY: The Colonels enter Tuesday's match with a 17-10 record after losing in five sets to Jacksonville State (Ala.) on Saturday. EKU dropped the first two sets before coming back to take Sets 3 and 4, with JSU winning a 16-14 result in the deciding set. Alexis Plagens finished the match with 27 kills and 18 digs and stands at the team's offensive leader at 3.37 kills per set. Rachel Vick added 20 kills and six blocks in the JSU match, and her 62 blocks ranks second on the team to Ciera Koons (74). On the back row, Dena Ott averages over five digs per set.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE COLONELS: Ashley Edmond finished the night with 20 kills, 22 digs and eight blocks to lead the Colonels to a 3-1 (25-19, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16) win over the Norse on Oct. 22, 2013. Rachel Vick added 16 kills and Alexis Plagens chipped in 11.
Jayden Julian's 12 kills and 10 digs led the Norse while
Keely Creamer,
Megan Wanstrath and
Jenna Ruble each posted eight kills. The loss dropped NKU's lead in the all-time series to 12-9.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jenna Ruble was named the A-Sun Player of the Week for her performance against Lipscomb on Friday. In addition to her career-high 21 kills, Ruble picked up a single block, which proved to be match point for the Norse in the victory. She is the second conference honoree for the Norse this season, as
Mel Stewart was named the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after averaging 4.80 digs per set across four Norse wins.
BIG IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE: The Norse are looking to win their eighth match in their last nine tries against opponents within the commonwealth of Kentucky. Since the 2011 season, NKU has claimed wins over Morehead State (twice), Bellarmine (twice), Kentucky Wesleyan (twice) and Eastern Kentucky. EKU is the only in-state team to defeat the Norse, with the result coming in the teams' last meeting.
SERVICE STREAK: Sophomore defensive specialist
Lauren Hurley has been one of the top servers in the A-Sun this season, boasting 30 service aces entering Tuesday's match to rank third in the league. Hurley has picked up at least one service ace in each of her last six matches and in nine of her last 10 matches dating back to a Sept. 20 match at Belmont.
NINE IS ENOUGH: Tristen Simpson has had a solid streak of performance, claiming nine or more kills in seven of her last eight matches dating back to the team's A-Sun opener at Lipscomb on Sept. 26. The sophomore has posted back-to-back matches of double-digit kills, including a 13-kill performance on Oct. 18 at Florida Gulf Coast.
UP NEXT: The Norse close out their four-match home stand this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson will travel to Regents Hall. Friday's match against FGCU is Fright Night – fans are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween best with a costume contest set to begin prior to the 6:30 p.m. start. Saturday's matinee against Stetson is Superhero Day – fans can get in the action by coming dressed in their superhero attire – as well as Serve It Up Saturday, where fans can get autographs from the team following the match. First serve on Saturday is set for 1 p.m.
