LAST TIME OUT: NKU went 2-1 on the opening weekend of the 2016 season at the Indiana Invitational. The Norse fell to Indiana on Friday in three sets, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21, before a successful Saturday that featured multiple career bests throughout the two matches. Senior libero
Lauren Hurley and junior middle blocker
Georgia Childers had career matches in the 26-24, 28-26, 29-31, 25-19 win over Marshall, with Hurley scooping up 22 digs and Childers rejecting eight swings at the net. Senior middle blocker
Keely Creamer was the standout in the 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 sweep of Evansville, posting a scorching .600 hitting percentage after terminating 12 attacks off 20 attempts with no errors.
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.
STRONGER AT THE LINE: One of NKU's goals at the start of the season was to have more aggressive serving in 2016. The Norse currently rank in the top 100 of NCAA Division I teams in aces per set at 1.70, good for 76th. Hurley and Childers have combined for more than half of the team's total aces this year. NKU also ranks 76th in blocks per set, with 2.40.
HOT HITTING FOR CREAMER:
Keely Creamer currently ranks 50th in the nation in individual hitting percentage with a .448 clip off 31 kills.
SCOUTING FORT WAYNE: Fort Wayne has gone 2-2 in the 2016 season, most recently falling in a mid-week contest to Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan in five sets. The Mastodons are led offensively by junior outside Lauren Hoffman with 3.29 kills per set and the 92nd-highest hitting percentage among Division I volleyball players at .398, while senior outside Somer Johnson adds 3.09 k/s. Sophomore setter Madison Jaqua averages 8.53 assists per set, while senior libero Olivia Hahn picks up 5.12 digs per set, the 39th-best average in Division I volleyball. Junior middle blocker Natalie Seiler has been a force at the net for the 'Dons, averaging 1.24 blocks a set, just outside the nation's top 100 blockers.
The two teams have a storied history, as both NKU and Fort Wayne were members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference prior to transitioning to Division I. The Mastodons hold a 23-18 all-time advantage, and most recently broke a nine-match Norse winning streak last season with a 25-18, 25-19, 26-24 sweep at the Miami Invitational on Sept. 19.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons will enjoy their second straight weekend at home after winning over VCU and falling to Oakland and Louisville in the Hampton Inn Invitational last weekend. BGSU gave the No. 23 Cardinals a scare on Saturday, taking the 2015 ACC Champions to five sets. Sophomore wing hitter Isabel Kovacic paces the Falcons on the young season with 3.27 kills per set along with a dig per set, while Jelena Sunjic averages 3.17 k/s with her only full match being the five-set thriller against Louisville in which she blasted 17 kills with a .484 hitting percentage. Junior setter Katie Scholten leads the offense with 10.73 assists per set, good for 54th in the nation, and senior libero Madeline Garda had a strong weekend with 5.18 digs per set, the 35th-highest average in Division I volleyball.
NKU and BGSU have met twice in the history of the two programs, with the Norse taking both matches in the side-out scoring era. The most recent win was on Oct. 4, 1980, when NKU won a three-setter, 12-15, 15-8, 15-9. This Saturday will mark the first time that NKU will play in Bowling Green.
