HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball sent its four seniors out in style by avenging an earlier loss in the season to Milwaukee, sweeping the Panthers on Senior Day, 25-13, 25-19, 25-15. With the win, NKU has guaranteed a better Horizon League finish than last season when the team went 8-8, as the Norse stand at 15-10 overall and 9-5 in League action. After all of yesterday's matches had concluded, it was also determined that NKU had clinched a spot in the Horizon League Championship. The Panthers fall to 13-12 (7-7 HL).
Prior to the match, NKU's four seniors were honored:
Keely Creamer,
Lauren Hurley,
Tristen Simpson and
Taylor Snyder.
The Quote
"We're a lot better of a team than when we last played Milwaukee. We needed to get better and continue to play disciplined volleyball, as well as execute scouting reports.
I think the seniors have always been outstanding leaders. Tay and Lo have been a part of the program for five years, so a lot of times they just take charge. They know what's expected and they do it. Keely and Tristen are great as well. They all have their own different ways of leading, which helps inspire each one of their teammates."– Head Coach
Liz Hart
First Set Summary
- NKU took the reins quickly in the first set, jumping out to a 16-4 lead. In that run, the Norse committed just one hitting error while forcing five miscues from the Panthers.
- The team hit .361 in the set and held Milwaukee to .026. NKU terminated 17 swings, while UWM had just seven kills.
- Simpson blasted five kills on six attempts to lead the Norse, followed closely by Creamer and sophomore outside hitter Haley Libs with four apiece.
- Hurley led the defense with seven digs, as the Norse out-dug the Panthers 20-14.
Second Set Summary
- Creamer and freshman rightside hitter Laura Crawford paced the offense in the second set, each registering five kills in the frame.
- The Norse hit above a .250 clip once more, connecting at a .268 rate in the 25-19 set win.
- Hurley commanded the back row with 10 digs, while Libs served up three aces and had three digs.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse hit .500 in the final set, finding the hardwood on 18 swings while committing just two errors.
- Creamer had six kills on seven swings, along with a block, while Libs had a solid stat line of five kills, four digs and an ace.
- Simpson also had a strong set with four kills on seven swings.
- Freshman setter/DS Shelby Olsen rose to the occasion when attacks started going towards the right back, picking up five digs in the final set.
Norse Notes
- All four seniors had exemplary final matches inside Regents Hall. Creamer led the team with 15 kills at a .462 and three blocks, while Simpson had 10 kills while hitting a season-best .529. Hurley picked up 21 digs to lead all players, and Snyder had 40 assists to go with eight digs and three kills.
- Hurley is now 10 digs shy of the 1,000-dig mark for her career.
- Libs was just short of a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs. Her four service aces match her career high, which was set the last time the Norse played Milwaukee on the road.
- NKU hit .367 for the match, which is just the fourth time this season that the team has hit above .350. Milwaukee was held to .142 hitting.
- The Norse had 56 digs compared to 36 for the Panthers. It marks the third-highest dig count in a sweep this year.
Up Next
- NKU wraps up the regular Horizon League season in its next two matches on the road at Youngstown State and UIC. The team first travels to Youngstown, Ohio, for a mid-week matchup with the Penguins on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ET. The Norse conclude the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. in Chicago.
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