HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball has a competitive tournament slated for the final weekend before entering Horizon League play, traveling to Indianapolis for the Butler Invitational. The Norse will face the host Bulldogs first at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, followed by a match against the Arizona Wildcats at 3 p.m. Arizona comes in as the highest-touted opponent that NKU will face this year, as the Wildcats were receiving votes in the first three AVCA Coaches Polls. NKU will close out the tournament on Saturday against Loyola Chicago, with first serve set for 3 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU won its first tournament of the year when it took the crown at the Eagle Challenge, hosted by Morehead State. The Norse took down all three opponents in four sets, first knocking off Ball State, 25-23, 10-25, 25-18, 25-15. Senior middle hitter Keely Creamer led the team with 15 kills and four blocks, while freshman setter Shelby Olsen made her career debut leading the offense with 49 assists. In the 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17 win over Appalachian State, Creamer and sophomore outside hitter Haley Libs both notched 14 kills to lead the team. In the final match versus Morehead State, Tristen Simpson had a season-high 15 kills in the 22-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-12 victory.
 
INDIVIDUAL HONORS IN 2016: Redshirt-senior setter Taylor Snyder and Creamer were named to the all-tournament team at the Indiana Invitational, Aug. 26-27. Creamer hit .448 off 31 kills to go with 11 blocks to earn the honor, while Snyder paced the team with 90 assists, 24 digs and 15 kills between the three matches.
  
Hurley earned all-tournament honors in Bowling Green after averaging 4.67 digs per set and controlling the Norse reception line to keep the team in system off the serve.
  
At the Eagle Challenge, Hurley was named the tournament MVP after averaging 7.08 digs per set in the Norse's wins over Ball State, App State and Morehead State. Simpson and Libs were also named to the all-tournament team.
  
Hurley was also honored as the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12.
 
HURLEY BECOMING A DEFENSIVE DYNAMO: Lauren Hurley just stepped into the libero role this season, but the redshirt-senior has taken little time in becoming one of the Horizon League's and the nation's top defenders. With a spectacular weekend at the Eagle Challenge, she went from averaging 3.81 digs per set to 5.21. That number not only stands at the top of the Horizon League by nearly half a dig, but it also ranks 20th among NCAA Division I players.
  
In her outing at the Eagle Challenge, Hurley improved on her career high in digs in each match, amassing 24 against Ball State before posting NKU's first consecutive 30-dig matches in at least a decade with 30 against App State and an NKU Division I-era single-match-record 31 in the win over Morehead State. To date, she has the only consecutive 30-dig performances in four-set matches this season in the nation.
 
SCOUTING BUTLER: The Bulldogs have had a jam-packed preseason with 13 matches so far, posting a 9-4 record. NKU will be the third Horizon League team that Butler has faced this season, with a five-set loss to Oakland and a sweep of Wright State. Outside hitter Anna Logan ranks 16th in the nation in kills per set, posting 4.59 a game to be the clear leader in Butler's offense. At the net, Jessica Klingensmith has rejected 1.19 attacks per set to rank in the national top 100, while setter Makayla Ferguson is also a top-100 performer with 9.80 assists per set. As a team, the Bulldogs rank in the top 100 nationally in assists per set (12.84), hitting percentage (.250), kills per set (13.65) and blocks per set (2.20).
  
NKU and Butler have squared off three times in the history of the two programs, with the Bulldogs holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. Like most of the Norse's non-conference opponents, the match marks a series renewal that has been stagnant since the 1980s. The last time the two met was in Indianapolis on Oct. 19, 1984, when Butler swept NKU, 15-7, 15-8, 15-12.
 
SCOUTING ARIZONA: Friday's second match will be the first meeting between NKU and Arizona in the two programs' histories. The Wildcats have posted a 5-4 record in 2016, and were receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll until the most recent release on Sept. 12. Arizona most recently claimed a 3-1 victory over New Mexico State and swept Sacramento State in the Borderland Invitational, while falling to No. 16 Texas A&M in three.
  
The squad is led by Kendra Dahlke, who averages 4.03 kills per set for the 47th-best average in the nation. All-America honorable mention setter Penina Snuka returns to lead the offense, averaging 9.65 assists per set and is also a tough server with .42 aces per set. In the back row, Laura Lawson paces the Bulldogs with 4.00 digs per set, while the net is well-defended as the Wildcats are the 63rd-best blockers in the nation with 2.42 blocks per set.
 
SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO: The match against the Ramblers will be another series starter for the Norse, with Saturday serving as the first meeting between Loyola Chicago and NKU. The Ramblers have gone 4-6 on the season, most recently falling in four sets to Horizon League foe UIC. Loyola Chicago is led by the pin-hitting tandem of Gabi Maciagowski and Morgan Reardon, combining for six kills a set between the two. Delilah Wolf serves as the Ramblers' setter with 9.16 assists per set, and Maddy Moser has established herself as a top libero with 5.28 digs per set, good for 16th in the nation. As a team, the Ramblers rank 62nd in the nation in blocks per set, averaging 2.44 rejections a game.