GREEN BAY, Wis. – Keely Creamer led five players with double digits in kills as the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team picked up its first Horizon League victory, defeating Green Bay in a five-set thriller on Friday evening.
 
Creamer had 16 kills, two service aces and a pair of blocks to help the Norse improve to 6-9 overall and 1-2 in Horizon League play. Haley Libs followed up with 13 kills while Jayden Julian picked up her second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs. Kelly Turner added 12 digs while Tristen Simpson posted 10. Mel Stewart added a season-high 23 digs, while Taylor Snyder added 16 digs to a 46-assist effort.
 
Set 1 saw NKU jump out to an early 6-2 lead before GB was able to rally back with four of the next five points and cut the lead down to one at 7-6.  Another 5-1 run later in the set by the Phoenix tied things up at 16-16 before NKU pulled away and held on for a 25-23 set win. Simpson picked up six kills in the set while Stewart dug out eight balls to keep the Norse in it.
 
An 8-0 run by Green Bay (10-7, 1-3 Horizon) early on gave the Phoenix a 13-5 lead that they would not relinquish, continuing to stretch the advantage to 12 points by the end of 25-13 set victory that tied the match at a game apiece.
 
Green Bay pushed it to a 2-1 lead in the match in Set 3 with a 25-23 victory. GB opened up on a 6-1 run before the Norse took nine of the next 10 points to push back ahead, 10-7. The Phoenix tied things back up with a 5-1 run keyed by a pair of kills from Emily Riese to make it a 15-15 set before the teams traded points back and forth to a 22-22 score. A double block by Lydia DeWeese and Abby Jeffcoat on Creamer's attempt gave GB set point before Megan Powers ended it for the Phoenix.
 
NKU put together another long run to start Set 4, this time pushing to an 8-1 advantage that they wouldn't relinquish. Haley Libs picked up six kills in the set to help the Norse to a 25-21 set win and force the deciding fifth set.
 
The final set was every bit as tight as the rest of the match, with both teams trading points to an 11-11 score before the Norse were able to find separation. Northern Kentucky took advantage of an attack error by Jeffcoat to take a 12-11 lead and, after surrendering a kill to DeWeese, claimed the final three points of the match, punctuated by a service ace from McKenzie Eskridge to win it.
 
DeWeese and Taylor Totka each had 16 kills to pace the Phoenix.
 
NKU closes out the League weekend tomorrow afternoon against Milwaukee. First serve from the Klotsche Center is set for 5 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Central). Links to live stats are available at NKUNorse.com, and fans can keep up with the action on Twitter by following @NKUNorseGameDay.
 
NORSE NOTES
 

• The win kept NKU's record against GB unblemished at 3-0 all-time. It was the first meeting between the teams since the 1986 season, when the Norse posted a 3-0 victory.
• With the win, NKU avoided its first five-match losing streak since the 1991 season. The team's .247 hitting percentage was also its best since defeating Evansville, the team's most recent victory.
• Taylor Snyder has crossed the 3,000-assist plateau, and now stands with 3,052 on her career, ranking eighth all-time at NKU.