ROCHESTER, Mich. – Strong play at the net from Oakland prevented Northern Kentucky volleyball from extending its winning streak to eight matches, as the Norse fell on the road, 25-21, 23-25, 25-12, 25-20. With the loss, Oakland breaks the tie for second place in the Horizon League with NKU and moves to 16-9 on the season and 8-3 in HL matches, while the Norse dip to 13-9 (7-4 HL).
First Set Summary
- NKU battled in the 25-21 opening-frame setback, hitting .216 while the Golden Grizzlies hit .265. That would be the highest percentage of the match for the Norse.
- Senior outside hitter Tristen Simpson heated up quickly with five kills on seven attempts to lead the Norse, while senior middle hitter Keely Creamer tallied four kills.
- NKU had a strong defensive set with 14 digs, but Oakland countered with four aces and four blocks to keep the lead.
Second Set Summary
- The Norse battled back from a seven-point deficit in the second set to knot the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 victory.
- NKU hit just .100 in the frame, led by sophomore outside hitter Haley Libs with four kills, but the team was able to keep the Golden Grizzlies at bay by containing their blockers and servers.
- Oakland had just two blocks and no aces in the second set, while NKU had three blocks and three aces.
- The trio of aces all came from junior DS McKenzie Eskridge, whose work at the line set up the Norse defense for two blocks in addition to her three aces to bring the score from trailing 23-20 to the 25-20 set win.
Third Set Summary
- NKU had its least efficient set coming out of the break, hitting .026 while Oakland went off for a .375 clip.
- Oakland upped its blocking once more with a devastating six blocks, five of which came form outside hitter Melissa Deatsch.
- Despite the point outcome, NKU had another strong showing in the back row with 21 digs, as Libs and redshirt-senior setter Taylor Snyder each had seven.
Fourth Set Summary
- The Norse kept it close in the fourth set, trailing by just one point at the 16-15 mark before Oakland went on a run to seal the match.
- Libs and Simpson recorded four kills each, while redshirt-senior libero Lauren Hurley led the back row with five digs.
- Eskridge delivered two more aces in the final set.
Norse Notes
- The loss ended two types of streaks for the Norse. NKU had won seven consecutive matches, and had not dropped a set in that span, with a streak of 21 consecutive games won.
- The all-time series moves up in favor of Oakland, 9-1.
- Simpson led all hitters with 14 kills off a .225 clip, as she was the only attacker hitting above .100 for NKU.
- The Norse hit .109 as a team while Oakland hit .305. An opponent had not hit above .300 against NKU since Sept. 24 when Green Bay hit for a .370 clip. That was also the last time NKU hit under .200 as a team.
- Eskridge matched her career high with five aces. She last tallied that many on Sept. 12, 2015, against Jacksonville. She also added eight digs.
- Snyder had the eighth double-double of her career with 35 assists and 12 digs.
- Libs was just off a double-double, with nine kills to go with 12 digs.
- Hurley led the defense with 18 digs.
- Oakland had a staunch advantage at the net, recording 16 blocks. That number matches a season high for opponents, tying the count by Cleveland State on Sept. 30.
Up Next
- NKU will square off with League-leading Cleveland State tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Ohio. The match will be broadcast on ESPN3 and is available for viewing on WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
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