HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –  Northern Kentucky volleyball will spend just one match at home this week, hosting Valparaiso on Friday, Oct. 7, before making the short trip north to Dayton, Ohio, to take on Wright State on Sunday, Oct. 9. Friday's match is set for 7 p.m. ET inside Regents Hall, and will be NKU's "Volley for a Cure" match. Fans are encouraged to join the Norse in wearing pink as part of the partnership with the American Cancer Society to help spread the word on Breast Cancer Awareness in the month of October. Sunday's match is slated for a 4 p.m. first serve from McLin Gymnasium.
 
Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN3, which can be viewed on WatchESPN or the ESPN App. For the Friday matchup in Highland Heights, Mike Schmaltz will be on the call for the Norse. In Dayton, Justin Kinnner will provide play-by-play for Sunday's contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU picked up its first Horizon League win of 2016 over the weekend with a sweep of then-League-leading Oakland, 25-16, 25-14, 25-23. It was the first win over the Golden Grizzlies in program history as the Norse held Oakland under .100 hitting in the clear victory. The night prior, NKU dropped a five-set heartbreaker to 2015 League champion Cleveland State, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-12. Senior middle hitter Keely Creamer tied her career high in kills with 19 against CSU before following it up with a team-best 10 kills versus Oakland. Junior Georgia Childers had a strong weekend at the net with six blocks on Friday and five on Saturday, sophomore outside Haley Libs had a solid showing across the board with 19 kills, 21 digs, six blocks and three aces.
 
SCOUTING VALPARAISO: The Crusaders enter the match with an 8-11 record, including a 1-3 mark in Horizon League action. The lone League win was a 3-2 victory over UIC, with losses against Green Bay, Youngstown State and Cleveland State. Valpo had been plagued by injury of late, with both Emily Campbell and Allison Ketcham, who were the Crusaders' All-Horizon League honorees in 2015, sidelined for the majority of September. Campbell returned against Youngstown State on Sept. 30, but sat out for the past two matches. In their absence, junior middle Taylor Graboski and outside hitter Katherine Carlson have risen to the occasion to average 2.65 and 2.74 kills per set, respectively. In Valpo's Tuesday night sweep of Western Illinois, the duo combined for 28 of the team's 39 kills.
  
Valparaiso's strength lies in its defensive prowess, as the Crusaders are easily at the top of the League averaging 17.46 digs per set, led by libero Morganne Longoria with 4.96 digs per set. The team average ranks ninth in the NCAA, while Longoria's mark is 33rd in the nation. Longoria has posted even higher numbers since entering League play, scooping up a League-best 5.17 digs in the first four matches.
  
The series history between the Crusaders and the Norse is a brief one, with the first match going to the Norse in 1985, followed by a 30-year hiatus before NKU joined the Horizon League last season. The two teams defeated each other on the road, with Valpo claiming a 3-1 win in Highland Heights before NKU snagged a five-set win in Valparaiso. That match was a defensive battle, with the Norse racking up 98 digs, while the Crusaders had 91.
 
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders have a record of 7-11 (2-2 HL) going into the weekend, and are also slated to play Valpo with a match against the Crusaders on Saturday. In League action, Wright State has defeated UIC and Youngstown State while falling to Milwaukee and Oakland.
  
Wright State is also one of the top backrow defensive teams in the League, averaging 16.52 digs per set while libero Jessie Thornton leads all Horizon League players in all matches this season with a 5.00 digs per set average, good for 30th in the nation. The Raiders are also strong at the net with 2.14 blocks per set, paced by middle hitter Megan Hopkins with 1.19 blocks a game, good for second in the League. On offense, outside hitter Katie Klusman is third in the League with 3.62 kills per set and is fresh off earning the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week after netting 31 kills off a .325 over last weekend's matches.
  
Due to the close proximity of the two institutions, NKU and Wright State have a rich volleyball history. Sunday will mark the 28th meeting between the two programs, with NKU holding a 15-12 advantage in the all-time series. Since entering Division I, NKU has gone 5-1 against the Raiders, with the lone loss coming last year in Dayton when the Raiders recorded a sweep, 25-21, 27-25, 25-13. The Norse retaliated when Wright State came to Highland Heights, posting a 25-17, 25-20, 25-18 sweep on Oct. 27.
 
NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR HOME SLATE: Seven of volleyball's home matches have been selected as a part of NKU's fall broadcast partnership with ESPN3. Broadcast dates include matches against: Cleveland State (Sept. 30, 6 p.m.), Oakland (Oct. 1, 4 p.m.), Valparaiso (Oct. 7, 7 p.m.), UIC (Oct. 15, 4 p.m.), Wright State (Oct. 23, 4 p.m.), Green Bay (Nov. 4, 6 p.m.) and Milwaukee (Nov. 5, 4 p.m.).