ROCHESTER, Mich. – Haley Libs posted 21 kills, leading a group of four Northern Kentucky University volleyball players in double-digits, but the Norse came up short in a five-set thriller at Oakland to close out the 2015 regular season.
Libs added 12 digs as one of three players to post double-doubles on the day as well, as Jayden Julian picked up 10 kills and 11 digs, and Taylor Snyder dished out 57 assists to go with 13 digs. Keely Creamer had 14 kills on the day and Keyaira Lankheit added 11 kills and five blocks.
With the loss, NKU finishes the regular season at 13-15 overall and 8-8 in Horizon League play. Combined with a Green Bay win over Milwaukee, NKU stands as the No. 4 seed for next week's Horizon League Championship, and will take on Green Bay in the opening round on Friday.
In the opening set, the Golden Grizzlies got started with a 3-1 advantage and expanded their lead, holding a 22-17 edge before the Norse mounted their comeback. Lauren Hurley launched a pair of service aces to key a 6-0 run and give the Norse a 23-22 lead. Oakland got a side out to tie things back up, but NKU got three of the final four points to claim the set.
After a 7-4 start for the Norse in Set 2, Oakland went on an 8-1 run keyed by two kills and a block from Cassie Pelloni, to give Oakland a 12-8 lead. A 6-1 run punctuated by back-to-back service aces by Alli Gutschow helped push the Golden Grizzlies to a 25-16 win to even the match.
The Norse opened the third set on a 9-3 advantage coming out of intermission and continued to pour on the pressure. NKU maintained the six-point edge until a 4-0 run cut the deficit to two at 11-9. Oakland continued to keep pace, tying things at 20-20 before NKU took four of the last five points for a 25-21 set victory.
After trailing much of the way, Oakland finished on a 9-2 run to come back and take a 25-23 win in Set 4 to set up the final set. NKU opened a 5-1 run to take a lead in the fifth set before Oakland answered with three points to tie it up. The teams remained level to 11-11 before Melissa Deatsch got a pair of kills to claim four of the final five points to win the set and match, 15-12.
Death and Pelloni each posted 19 kills and Jessica Dood added 14 to lead the Oakland offense. Oakland claims an 18-12 overall record and 12-4 League mark, having already locked up the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Horizon League Championship.
NKU and Green Bay will meet on Friday at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the Championship, hosted at Cleveland State University, immediately following the Milwaukee and Valparaiso match. Live stats and broadcast information will be available at NKUNorse.com.
NORSE NOTES
· Libs finished the regular season picking up 20 or more kills in four of her final five matches. Libs, one of the top freshmen in the Horizon League this season, has averaged 3.58 kills per set over the year.
· Today's match was NKU's eighth five-set match of the season. NKU has gone 6-2 when going the distance this season.
· NKU has now qualified for conference postseason play in each of the last two seasons since being deemed eligible by the NCAA. NKU is in its final reclassifying season and cannot earn the Horizon League's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship.
