YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Haley Libs once again came through with a career performance, putting down 26 kills while attacking at a .418 clip to lead the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team back from two sets down to take a 3-2 win from Youngstown State in Horizon League play on Saturday evening.
 
Keely Creamer got in on the offense as well, going for 16 kills while hitting .520 on the day, while Tristen Simpson got back in the groove with eight kills as well as the Norse improved to 13-13 overall and 8-6 in Horizon League play. With the win, NKU also clinched a spot in the Horizon League Championship, set for Nov. 20-22 at the site of the top seed.
 
Mel Stewart paced the defense, posting 20 digs to lead the way while Jayden Julian followed up with 19 digs. Lauren Hurley chipped in 14 digs and Libs added 11 of her own to mark her seventh double-double of the season.
 
An early 5-0 run for the Penguins (9-19, 3-10 Horizon) in the opener gave Youngstown State an 8-3 lead that they would not relinquish, running the string to a 25-14 set victory. Aly Ryan posted six of her team-best 16 kills in the frame for YSU as the Penguins hit .333 along the way.
 
Youngstown State pushed to a two-set lead with a 25-21 win in Set 2, keyed by six kills from Sarah Varcolla, who finished with 11 on the evening. A late 5-1 run was the difference, punctuated by one of seven Penguin service aces, this one from Sam Brown.
 
Libs came alive after intermission, going for eight kills in the third set as the Norse held on for a 26-24 win. NKU surrendered three straight points to tie the match at 24-24 before back-to-back kills from Simpson and Julian gave the Norse the victory.
 
The Norse jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back in Set 4, hitting .500 as a team to cruise to a 25-15 set victory. Libs claimed seven of NKU's 13 kills in an error-free attack set for the Norse. Creamer chipped in defensively with four of NKU's six blocks on the set, as the Norse won the net battle, 10-9.
 
Two big runs made the difference for the Norse in the deciding set – a 5-0 stretch early and a 6-1 rally to close out the win as the Norse took the final set, 15-8. The Norse hit .412 while holding the Penguins to a .000 hitting percentage in the frame.
 
The Norse look to use the momentum as they head to a pair of tough road matches to close out the regular season. NKU heads to Horizon League frontrunner Cleveland State on Tuesday before closing out the year on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Oakland.
 
NORSE NOTES
 

• NKU has gone to five sets in their last three consecutive matches and four of their last five encounters. NKU is now 6-1 on the season, and 10-2 over the last two seasons when going the distance.
• Saturday's win marks the first time NKU has come back from two sets down to take a win since Oct. 24, 2014, when the Norse rallied for a five-set victory against Lipscomb in Regents Hall. NKU hadn't accomplished the feat on the road since the 2013 season, taking a five-setter from Mercer.
• Mel Stewart's 20-dig performance was her sixth consecutive match with 20 or more digs, and her 10^th such performance this season. She is now averaging 4.64 digs per set and is among the top defenders in the Horizon League.