FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the first time in program history, the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team enters into the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on Thursday as the No. 4 seeded Norse take on No. 5 Stetson in the first round. First serve from Alico Arena is set for 5 p.m.
Links to live stats and the ESPN3 broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com. Fans can also follow along and interact during the match by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
The Norse finished the 2014 regular season with an 18-10 record, including a 7-7 record in A-Sun play. NKU sewed up its place in the tournament with a 3-0 win over Kennesaw State last Friday and improved to the No. 4 seed with a 3-1 win over South Carolina Upstate on Saturday.
A WORD ABOUT STETSON: The Hatters went 16-12 over the regular season and 7-7 in league play, dropping matches at Jacksonville and North Florida to close out the season. Stetson claims three honored standouts, including Madison Akins, who was named to the all-conference second team after averaging over three kills per set to lead the Hatters over the season. Shelby Conners stood as one of the top blockers in the league at over a block a set, earning All-Freshman team honors. McKenna Foster was also named to the All-Freshman team, ranking second on the team at 2.92 kills per set.
SEASON SERIES: NKU and Stetson split their season series with each team taking a straight-set victory on its home floor. Foster led the Hatters with 12 kills on a .423 hitting percentage in Stetson's home win on Oct. 17, while
Jenna Ruble hit .522 with 13 kills and
Keely Creamer had 10 kills and four blocks in NKU's home win on Nov. 1. The all-time series favors the Norse, 4-2, with every match in the series between the teams going only the minimum three sets.
AWARD WINNERS: The Norse had four players named to postseason honors by the Atlantic Sun this week. On Tuesday,
Mel Stewart and
Taylor Snyder claimed spots on the Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference Team. That announcement was followed on Wednesday by news that
Jenna Ruble was named to the All-Atlantic Sun first team, while Snyder and
Keely Creamer earned spots on the second team.
CREAMER CRUSHING:
Keely Creamer has been a major part of the Norse offense all season, but never as much as she was this past weekend, as she led the Norse with 29 kills on a .462 hitting percentage in wins over Kennesaw State and USC Upstate. With the performance, Creamer vaulted to third in the A-Sun's rankings for hitting percentage, finishing the regular season at a .274 clip.
KEY EFFICIENCY: NKU's attacking efficiency has been a leading mark to success, as the Norse are a perfect 10-0, including a 5-0 mark in conference play, when hitting over .250 as a team. The five A-Sun wins came against Jacksonville (.396), Lipscomb (.338), Stetson (.306), Kennesaw State (.261) and USC Upstate (.338).
ROAD BATTLES: While the Norse have struggled on hostile ground, posting just a 4-7 record in road matches, NKU boasts a solid 4-1 record on neutral ground, including wins over Radford, Temple, Liberty and Wright State.
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE: NKU is the opening match on Thursday, as the other first round match will feature cross-town rivals as the No. 3 seed Jacksonville will go up against No. 6 North Florida. Two teams received byes into the tournament semifinals on Friday, as Lipscomb will take on the winner between NKU and Stetson while the host Florida Gulf Coast will take on either Jacksonville or North Florida. Saturday's championship match is set for 3 p.m. All matches in the Atlantic Sun Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
