NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team saw three players in double-figures for kills but failed to top Lipscomb as the Norse fell on Friday night, 3-1, to open Atlantic Sun Conference play for both teams.
 
NKU came out strong, taking Set 1, 25-21, before Lipscomb rattled off three-straight set wins by scores of 28-26, 31-29 and 25-20. With the loss, NKU fell to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
 
"It was a well-played match, very intense and highly competitive," said NKU head coach Liz Hart. "We did a lot of things well. Our teams are so similar, but at the end, Lipscomb was able to finish those sets and take the match."
 
Lauren Ford led the Lipscomb attack with 23 kills, including 14 across the final two sets of the match, while hitting at a .327 clip. Molly Spitznagle added 19 kills and Brittnay Estes chipped in 13. Kayla Ostram picked up a double-double for the Lady Bisons with 59 assists and 10 digs. The win put Lipscomb above .500 on the year at 7-6 overall and kept the team's record against NKU perfect across five all-time meetings.
 
"Ford is an excellent player, so our goal was to slow her down a little bit," said Hart. "I thought we did a good job in the first set on her and then just became focused on their middles later on. They just have so much talent it was hard for our blockers to hold that focus and contain everyone."
 
Megan Wanstrath again led the Norse offensively, putting down 13 kills. Tristen Simpson added 11 kills, while Keely Creamer had 10 kills and set a career-high with seven blocks. Taylor Snyder claimed her seventh double-double of the year with 41 assists and a match-high 17 digs. Mel Stewart and Jayden Julian each had 14 digs as well.
 
"Megan is a key piece to our puzzle. She came on strong in the first set, hitting the ball well and picking up a lot of kills for us, but she's a really great blocker as well," said Hart of the senior right side hitter. "Megan was able to get some key touches for us at the net and keep their hitters off balance tonight. She's demonstrated over the last couple of weeks her ability to terminate the ball and make an impact, and that will be important as the season goes on."
 
The Norse stumbled out of the gate in Set 1 as Lipscomb rallied the first six points of the match, with Spitznagle claiming three kills and a block in the opening run. NKU fought back, however, stringing together an 8-2 run to level the score at 9-9. The score remained level until the Norse broke out for an 8-1 run of their own that featured three of Wanstrath's seven kills in the set, pushing the NKU lead to 23-16. The Lady Bisons didn't go down without a fight, rallying back five of the next six points before Wanstrath closed out the set with a kill.
 
In what would become a regular refrain for the match, NKU raced out to an early lead in Set 2, using a 7-1 run to take a 10-5 lead. Lipscomb kept pace, however, and responded by rallying eight of nine points in the middle part of the set to take an 18-15 lead. The Norse came back to level the set at 20-20 when Lauren Hurley picked up one of her team-best three service aces. Lipscomb continued to battle, taking a 23-21 lead before NKU won four of five points thanks in part to a pair of kills by Julian to force set point at 25-24. Spitznagle came up strong for the Lady Bisons, getting three key kills in a 4-1 run that closed out a set win for Lipscomb to tie the match.
 
After intermission, the Norse again got the early lead, going ahead 8-4 before Lipscomb jumped right back in with four-straight points to tie things up.  NKU pushed the lead as high as six points, at 18-12, before Ford came alive with three big kills to help Lipscomb take over with a five-point rally, pushing Lipscomb to a 21-20 advantage. The teams battled back and forth through the 25-point barrier, as NKU had two chances at set point, but Ford was there to pick up kills for the Lady Bisons and keep things alive. Estes made the difference in the end, though, blocking down back-to-back attacks from Tristen Simpson to close out the set.
 
Another early 8-4 lead for the Black and Gold was slowly chipped away in Set 4, as Lipscomb rallied back in two and three-point chunks before taking an 18-17 lead late. The teams traded sideouts until a double block from Spitznagle and Sophie Kellerman put Lipscomb up for good at 21-19. After Julian picked up a sideout on the next point, Lipscomb took the final four points of the match to close out the victory.
 
NKU will return to the road next weekend for A-Sun action, taking on Kennesaw State on Friday, Oct. 3, and USC Upstate the following day. NKU will open the home half of the conference slate on Oct. 10, hosting North Florida. It's "Styles for Smiles" to benefit the Brighton Center. Fans can receive $1 off admission with a clothing donation. For the latest information on NKU volleyball, follow @NKUNorseVBall on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.