NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Megan Wanstrath had 12 kills and attacked at a .407 clip to help the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team claim a 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 26-28, 25-16) victory over Liberty on Friday evening to open the Bruin Classic, hosted by Belmont University.
 
Jenna Ruble's 15 kills led the Norse, who improved to 8-3 with the win. Keely Creamer added 11 kills and Tristen Simpson chipped in with 10 kills. As a team, the Norse hit .268 on the match.
 
"Megan had a great night tonight. She did a nice job taking care of the ball," said NKU head coach Liz Hart following the match. "We set her up out of the system and she made smart choices terminating the ball. She did well in every situation we put her in.
 
"We also served really well tonight to get them out of system and force some bad attacks on their part. We didn't put up a lot of aces, but we still served well, and I'm proud of our effort there."
 
Taylor Snyder came one dig short of her seventh-consecutive double-double, finishing with 40 assists and nine digs. Jayden Julian's 13 digs led the defensive effort, while Lauren Hurley added 12 digs and Mel Stewart also finished in double-figures with 11 digs.
 
The Norse will return for a pair of matches on Saturday, taking on the hosts Belmont at 10:30 a.m. before wrapping up play in the Music City against regional foe Wright State at 4:30 p.m. Links to live stats as well as video for the Belmont match are available at NKUNorse.com.
 
Caroline Douglas had a match-high 19 kills, while Hannah Weidner added 18 kills for Liberty, which fell to 9-5 on the season. Gabrielle Shipe led the Flames' defensive effort with 24 digs, while Anna Willey dished out a team-high 35 assists.
 
"They had two really great players in Douglas and Weidner, and it took us a little longer than it should have to find them," added Hart. "As the match went on, even though we didn't get blocks, we were able to get touches on their shots and get things going in transition. Keely and Jenna were great applying that pressure when they were up front."
 
Set 1 saw the teams jockey for the lead throughout much of the Set. A 4-0 run late helped the Flames take an 18-15 lead. The Norse responded in kind, however, as Wanstrath picked up three kills to help the Norse on a 10-2 run to close out the set. McKenzie Eskridge provided the punctuation mark, closing the set with the first of her two service aces.
 
The Flames raced out to an early 5-1 lead in Set 2, putting the Norse on the back foot. However, the Norse stood strong at the net, picking up four of their six team blocks in the second stanza. Wanstrath got in on three of the four blocks, including two blocks on an 11-2 run that put the Norse ahead, 18-11. Liberty fought back with a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to two points, but the Norse powered through, scoring six of the final eight points of the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
With the Norse leading in Set 3, 13-9, Douglas came alive for the Flames, picking up three consecutive kills to spark a 4-0 run and tie the set. Neither team gained an advantage larger than two points for the rest of the set, as Liberty closed out the struggle with a three-point rally to end things, 28-26, and force the fourth set. Douglas picked up eight kills in the third set, taking 20 attempts in the frame.
 
The Norse came back to dominate in Set 4, opening on an 8-3 run to take a lead they would not relinquish. Liberty cut the lead as close as three points, but the Norse continued to battle, closing the match out with a 7-2 run to take the win. Simpson went 5-for-7 in the set for the Norse, including three kills in the set-opening rally.