NKU vs. SIU Edwardsville:
Box score (XML) | Box score (PDF) | Photo GalleryNKU vs. Eastern Michigan:
Box score (XML) | Box score (PDF) | Photo GalleryHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
Jenna Ruble and
Mel Stewart put up all-tournament performances as the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team split Day 2 action at the Northern Kentucky Volleyball Invitational.
The Norse picked up a five-set victory over long-time rival SIU Edwardsville, winning by set scores of 25-18, 21-25, 25-9, 23-25, 15-9. The nightcap saw Eastern Michigan defeat NKU in straight sets, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19. With the results, NKU stands at 5-1 on the season.
Jenna Ruble paced the offense in the win over SIUE, attacking at a .414 clip with 13 kills and five blocks, and
Megan Wanstrath added 12 kills as well.
Mel Stewart had a career day in the back row, picking up 28 digs.
"Jenna came up really big for us in putting the ball away. She found a way to get the kills in the third set," said head coach
Liz Hart. "Mel has had a lot of really awesome digs that have changed the momentum and intensity of our team. She's not afraid to put her body out there and get in the way of these hard swings."
Two Norse players picked up their first double-doubles as
Taylor Snyder dished out 46 assists to go with 19 digs, and Julian added 12 kills and 12 digs in the win.
"We saw three very different teams this weekend, which is good because that's what we're going to see when we get into A-Sun play," said head coach
Liz Hart in appraisal of her team's performance on the weekend. "We have to be able to execute and to defend the different types of offenses we're going to see."
Kristen Torre led the charge for the Cougars (2-4), picking up 16 kills on a .393 hitting percentage. Setter Mallory Mangun added a double-double with 42 assists and 13 digs to go with three service aces. Carley Ramich went for 13 kills and six blocks and Ashley Witt also finished in double-digits with 10 kills.
The Norse rode a blistering .476 hitting percentage to victory in Set 1. As a team, NKU amassed 11 kills on just one error. A 7-2 run in the early going gave the Norse an 8-5 lead they would not relinquish. Julian picked up three kills and a solo block in the set, while Wanstrath added three kills as well.
The Cougars turned Set 2 into a block party, stuffing six Norse attempts en route to a 25-21 set victory to level the match at 1-all. Carley Ramich got in on five of the six blocks while Taylor Held picked up all five of her rejections in the set as well. Ramich also added four kills in the stanza.
After the break the Norse responded in a big way, picking up eight sideouts on nine chances en route to a 25-9 set win. Stewart set the tone by serving up a 7-0 rally to start the set and Julian added a 5-0 run of her own from the service position. Wanstrath collected four kills and a pair of blocks in the set as well.
SIUE continued to show resiliency in Set 4 as NKU took an early lead thanks to a four-point service rally by
McKenzie Eskridge. The Cougars kept the deficit within three for the duration of the match before Chelsea Colclasure served up a 3-0 rally to give SIUE a two-point lead at 24-22. Ruble got service back for the Norse to try and extend the set, but Torre finished the job on the next point to force the deciding fifth stanza.
Lauren Hurley served up success for the Norse in Set 5, leading the Norse on an 8-0 run to put the Norse ahead 10-4 and in firm control of their destiny. Ruble added two kills and a key solo block on the run, while
Keely Creamer picked up two of her eight kills in the set, including the match-winning point.
Snyder reprised her double-double effort in the nightcap, totaling 29 assists and 12 digs in the loss to Eastern Michigan. Wanstrath was NKU's top attacker in the match with nine kills, while Ruble added seven kills and three blocks. Stewart chipped in 11 digs as well.
Stacey Perinar's 11 kills and 10 digs led the way for Eastern Michigan (4-2), while Megan Crawshaw added 10 kills. Setter Jill Briner flirted with a triple-double with 31 assists to go with seven kills and eight digs.
"They did a nice job getting us out of system, which made us force some situations and we became too predictable," said Hart. "I thought we did a really nice job in the early match today, but we have some work to do, because we're going to see three totally different teams next weekend that are probably going to be a lot bigger. We have to make sure that our system is the one that's dominating the match."
NKU was ahead as many as four points in Set 1 against Eastern Michigan, but the Eagles stayed with the Norse and, trailing 14-11, went on a set-ending 14-3 run to take Set 1. EMU continued to hold the Norse at bay through the rest of the match, holding the potent Norse offense to just a .130 hitting percentage on the match.
For her efforts on the weekend, EMU's Crawshaw was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Perinar and Briner were also named to the all-tournament team.
The Norse look to regroup next weekend when they take to the Big Apple for the Blackbird Invitational, hosted by LIU Brooklyn. NKU will face the host Blackbirds as well as Temple and Boston College.
NKU returns home on Sept. 16 to host Evansville. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. For all the latest information on NKU volleyball, follow @NKUNorseVBall on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Megan Crawshaw, Eastern Michigan, Most Valuable Player
Stacey Perinar, Eastern Michigan
Jill Briner, Eastern Michigan
Jenna Ruble, Northern Kentucky
Mel Stewart, Northern Kentucky
Kristen Torre, SIU Edwardsville
Michaela Reesor, Samford
