CHICAGO – After a rough start, the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team was firing on all cylinders to take a 3-1 victory from UIC in Horizon League action on Friday night.
 
The win was NKU's third in its last four matches, and pushed NKU to 9-12 overall and 4-5 in Horizon League play.
 
Haley Libs posted a match-high 25 kills and 10 digs to mark her fourth career double-double, while Keely Creamer and Kelly Turner joined Libs in double-figures with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Mel Stewart put up her sixth 20+ dig performance of the season with a season-high 28 on the night, and Keyaira Lankheit locked down the defense at the net with 6 blocks to go with 7 kills on a .583 hitting percentage. Taylor Snyder dished out 56 assists and picked up 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the year.
 
The Norse had a difficult time sorting out the service from Friel to open the match, as the Flames (11-12, 4-5 Horizon) shot out to an early 4-1 lead, but a 6-0 run put the Norse back in business at 10-8. UIC kept pace, eventually tying the score at 21-21 before the Flames rallied to reach set point. The Norse survived a pair of set points, but UIC held on for a 26-24 win, thanks in part to 10 kills from Yancy.
 
Set 2 proved to be another tight affair, as UIC claimed the largest lead of the stanza at 19-16. However, the Norse kept pace until a three-point rally keyed by kills from Turner and Creamer put the Norse in front, 22-21. NKU continued the pressure, scoring three of the final four points of the set to go to the locker room with a 25-23 set win and a tied match.
 
Five in a row for the Norse put NKU ahead in Set 3, 19-12, as NKU would hold that lead for the duration of the sit, hitting at a blistering .371 pace to take the set, 25-20.
 
After the Norse raced out to a 13-5 lead in the fourth set, UIC pulled back into it, utilizing a 5-1 run to cut the NKU lead in half at 14-10. UIC continued the pressure, getting back-to-back blocks from Nicole Johnson and Casey Harris to tie the set up at 17-17. NKU called a timeout and picked up two quick points on a service error and a block from Creamer and Jayden Julian. UIC continued to battle point for point, with Yancy and Libs taking over for their respective teams. The Norse took the best of it, holding on for a 25-23 win in the set to take the match.
 
Stephanee Yancy also picked up 25 kills to lead UIC, while Alyssa Erhardt added 13 kills and 12 digs. Five Flames reached double figures for digis, led by Bridget Powell with 18.
 
NKU will look to move to .500 in League play tomorrow afternoon when the Norse take on a difficult team in Valparaiso. First serve is set for 5 p.m. Eastern with coverage on ESPN3 and NKUStats.com.
 
NORSE NOTES
 

• The Norse hit .287 as a team on Friday night, marking their most efficient offensive performance in Horizon League play this season, and their best hitting night since a 3-1 win over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 4, when NKU hit .293 as a team.
• The win leveled the season series with UIC, 1-1, and gave NKU a 4-1 lead in the all-time series. NKU also moved to 5-6 overall in road matches, including a 2-2 mark in Horizon League play.