CLEVELAND, Ohio – Northern Kentucky volleyball played a tight match against the Horizon League-leading Cleveland State Vikings, but fell in straight sets to the reigning HL champions on Saturday afternoon. With the 26-24, 25-23, 25-21 setback, NKU falls to 13-10 on the season and 7-5 in the League, while Cleveland State picked up its 20th win of the season (20-4, 11-1 HL).
First Set Summary
- NKU pushed extra points in the opening set, facing four set points before falling, 26-24.
- Sophomore outside hitter Haley Libs kept the set alive with three kills in a run that took NKU from trailing 24-20 to tied at 24-24. She led the team with four kills in the set, as did senior middle hitter Keely Creamer.
- The Norse hit .049 as a team, while Cleveland State hit .140.
- NKU had a solid defensive set with 21 digs, led by redshirt-senior libero Lauren Hurley with five.
- The team also did well at the service line with three aces, led by two from junior DS McKenzie Eskridge.
Second Set Summary
- The Norse trailed by as many as 10 points for the majority of the second set before putting away nine straight points at the 20-10 mark, seven of which came by way of Cleveland State errors.
- Both squads hit for low efficiencies, as NKU hit .028 while Cleveland State was held to .029.
- Creamer tallied four kills to lead the way on offense, while Libs picked up five of NKU's 12 digs in the set.
Third Set Summary
- NKU's efficiency rose in the final set to .219, but was it was unable to push extra sets in the final 25-21 set loss.
- Libs blasted six kills on 10 swings with no errors to go with a team-best three digs in the match.
- Creamer added another four kills to her count.
Norse Notes
- NKU's all-time record against Cleveland State drops to 3-6, and it is the second loss of the season to the Vikings.
- The team hit .092 for the match, which is the first time since the loss to Butler on Sept. 16 that NKU has hit below a .100 clip.
- Creamer led the offense with 12 kills, while Libs was once again just off the mark for a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs. Her digs led the team.
- Similar to the setback to Oakland the night prior, NKU had six miscues on the receiving end while the Vikings rejected 10 swings.
- The Norse were led at the net by Creamer and junior middle blocker Georgia Childers, who each had three blocks.
Up Next
- The Norse close out the home slate next weekend against Green Bay and Milwaukee. The Phoenix will square off with NKU in Regents Hall on Friday, Nov. 4, with first serve scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. The Norse will then hold their senior day against Milwaukee, which is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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