HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Jayden Julian became the 17^th player in Norse history to reach 1,000 kills with 11 kills on the day as the Northern Kentucky University Volleyball team fell to Horizon League opponent UIC, 3-1, in a Saturday matinee.
 
Tristen Simpson led the Norse (5-9, 0-2 Horizon) with 12 kills and Keely Creamer added eight kills along with four blocks. Mel Stewart and Lauren Hurley held down the defense with 12 and 11 digs, respectively. The Norse were unable to match the offensive prowess of UIC (8-7, 2-0 Horizon) led by Stephenee Yancy with 26 kills on the match, hitting .629 to lead the team.
 
The Norse pulled away late in Set 1 with an 18-13 lead. The Flames battled back closing the gap to a final of 25-21. The four service aces were the final advantage in this set for the Norse.
 
Set 2 was a different story, as the Flames broke out on a 9-1 run to lead 11-4. The Norse chipped away at the lead, with Creamer going 3-for-3 in the set and Simpson adding three kills, but were never able to overcome the deficit, losing the game 25-18.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth struggle, with the teams going back-and-forth to a tie at 15. The Norse had a 4-1 run to take the lead, but back-to-back blocks from Casey Harris, who finished with seven on the day, slowed the Norse down. The Flames were able to finish the set strong, picking up the final three points to win, 25-23.
 
Set 4 opened on a 3-0 run by UIC before the Flames opened up a five-point lead at 8-3. The Norse chipped their way back into the set until a 5-1 run, keyed by a Julian service ace and a block by Creamer and Taylor Snyder, tied the set at 22. A service ace from Allie O'Reilly and a block by the Flames provide to be the difference as UIC took the match with a 26-24 set victory.
 
The Norse hit the road next weekend for more Horizion League action, taking on Green Bay and Milwaukee. Saturday's match at Milwaukee is set for an ESPN3 broadcast.
 
NKU returns home on Oct. 9, hosting Youngstown State to begin a three-match home stand. First serve from Regents Hall is set for 7 p.m., with the action carried live on ESPN3.
 
Norse Notes

• Jayden Julian becomes the 17^th player in NKU volleyball to join the 1,000 kill club.
• Mel Stewart surpasses Liz Lamping for 11th place on the NKU career list now with 1,160 digs.
• Haley Libs added 11 kills on the day, marking the seventh time this season and the third time in four matches she has reached double digits for kills. The freshman continues to lead the team with 3.06 kills per set.