CLEVELAND – Freshman Haley Libs and senior Jayden Julian turned in a pair of double-doubles on Saturday afternoon as the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team suffered a five-set loss to No. 1 seed Cleveland State in the Horizon League Championship semifinals at Woodling Gymnasium.

Libs issued a 17-kill performance to go along with 13 digs en route to recording her 10th double-double of the season.

In her final match as a Norse, Julian posted her fifth double-double of the year and 19th of her career with 17 digs and 10 kills. The senior also came through with four blocks.

Mel Stewart led the Norse defense with 19 digs while Taylor Snyder contributed on both sides of the ball with five kills on .714 hitting and 11 total digs.

In the opening set, Cleveland State began to pull away until Julian issued back-to-back kills then partnered with Keyaira Lankheit for a block to help NKU come within one point of CSU at 11-10. The Norse remained within three points of the Vikings throughout the remainder of the set but fell, 25-21.

Libs came alive in the second frame, issuing a pair of kills early to help the Norse speed out to a 6-2 advantage. Libs set the tone for the set as NKU hit .316 as a team.

With NKU trailing 12-11, Libs contributed three kills to a 5-1 run that helped the Norse out to a 16-13 advantage. The Vikings again came back to tie the set before the Norse scored four-straight to put the set out of reach and seal a 25-23 win.

The Norse hit .333 in the third set and held the Vikings to .000 hitting en route to posting a 25-16 victory. After getting out to a 15-9 lead, the Norse maintained their advantage and dominated to win the final seven points of the frame.

The Vikings returned to the court and stole the Norse momentum to lead 14-9. NKU came back when a Keely Creamer kill sparked a 10-4 run to pull NKU ahead 19-18. However, the Vikings outscored the Norse 7-3 throughout the end of the set to win 25-22.

NKU held the advantage in the fifth set before seven-straight Viking points gave CSU a 10-5 edge. NKU fought back with three-straight points with the Vikings locked at set point, but Cleveland State held on for a 15-10 victory to take the match.

The Norse end the 2015 campaign with a 14-16 overall record after going 8-8 in the Horizon League as a first-year member.

NORSE NOTES:

• The match was NKU's ninth five-setter of the season. The Norse fell to 6-3 in those matches.
• In addition to posting her 10th double-double, Libs, the Horizon League Freshman of the Year, eclipsed 15 kills for the 12th time this season.
• Head coach Liz Hart wraps up her sixth season at the helm of the NKU volleyball program with a 110-67 career record with the Norse.