HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball had a night for the history books in the sweep of Valparaiso on Friday night, with three Division I-era records falling in the 25-12, 25-22, 25-18 win over the Crusaders. Senior middle hitter
Keely Creamer broke two D-I NKU records, tying a career-best 19 kills for the most terminations in a three-set match since the Norse made the transition in 2012, and coupled that with a new career-high hitting percentage at .750, also a new record. The team hit at a .402 clip to break the previous D-I program standard of .396 set on Oct. 11, 2014 against Jacksonville.
The Quotes
"Keely was fantastic. I know she had seven kills in the first; I thought she did a great job being aggressive on the overpasses. I also thought she did a good job transitioning and terminating, making smart decisions when the block was on her. I thought we did a pretty good job terminating on all pins. I know we hit for a very high percentage. Georgia (Childers) did a nice job chipping in some kills and Drew (Hendricks) played a nice role when she came in. Valpo is always known for something like 20 digs per set, so our goal was that we needed to serve aggressively and transition hard. We worked a lot on transition and terminating, because that's what their strategy is, and we knew we needed to get out of those rallies quickly." –Head Coach
Liz Hart
"The court seemed huge tonight; a lot of it was because we were quick and it was also because Valpo was off its game a bit. But at the same time, I just found so many openings that usually aren't there and I could swing away, and that's a good feeling to be able to do that. And with as many blocks as I could pull, it left it wide open for the pins. Even if I wasn't the one getting the kill, it was great to be able to help out that way." – Senior middle blocker
Keely Creamer
First Set Summary
- Creamer made a statement in the opening set, registering seven kills on as many swings to lead the Norse to a 25-12 win over the Crusaders.
- The team was equally efficient with just two errors for a .560 clip, while holding Valpo to .042.
- The Crusaders, who came into the match averaging 17.5 digs per set to lead the conference, were held to just four digs.
- The Norse were strong at the net with our blocks, led by two from senior outside hitter Tristen Simpson and Creamer.
Second Set Summary
- NKU's efficiency dipped but still stayed above .300 in the 25-22 second-set win. Creamer once again had seven kills and committed her lone error of the match.
- Redshirt-senior libero Lauren Hurley scooped up most of Valpo's attacks, notching 12 digs.
- With attention on the middle attack, redshirt-senior setter Taylor Snyder was able to comfortably fan out the offense as outside hitter Haley Libs racked up five kills.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse bumped their hitting percentage up to .371 while holding the Crusaders under .100 once more in the final set, 25-18.
- Libs led the offense in the final set, with seven kills off nine swings. Creamer was equally impressive with five kills in nine attempts.
- Hurley had nine digs to close out the match.
Norse Notes
- The Norse broke the single-match Division I-era record for team hitting percentage at .402, with 52 kills off 97 swings with just 13 errors. The last time the Norse hit above .400 in a match was on Nov. 5, 2011, when NKU hit .455 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
- Creamer broke two D-I single-match records: kills in a three-set match (19) and hitting percentage (.750). Her 19 kills are also the most in a three-set match all-time since Sarah Drennen put away 19 against Southern Indiana on Sept. 17, 2011. Her hitting percentage is the highest by a Norse since Sept. 2, 2008, when Kristina Eisenmenger had 16 kills off 20 swings with no errors for a .800 clip.
- Hurley had 23 digs, her highest tally in a three-setter by seven digs.
- Snyder dished out 41 assists, averaging 13.6 assists per set.
- NKU held Valpo to just 28 digs. The last time the two teams met, the Crusaders had 91 digs. Conversely, the Norse were strong on defense with 47 digs to go with five blocks.
- Libs also notched double-digit kills with 13 and a .476 hitting percentage. She has hit above .450 in two consecutive matches.
Up Next
- NKU travels north to Dayton, Ohio, to take on the Wright State Raiders on Sunday. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET from McLin Gymnasium.
Join the Uprising!
