MILWAUKEE – Northern Kentucky's volleyball team fell just shy of handing Milwaukee its first season-opening loss under Panther head coach Susie Johnson, but the Norse were topped in a five-set battle, 18-25, 25-18, 25-22, 17-25, 15-10. With the loss, the Norse fall to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the Horizon League, while Milwaukee advances to 7-5 (1-0 HL).
First Set Summary
- NKU's outsides dominated the opening set, with sophomore Haley Libs leading the way with five kills followed closely by senior Tristen Simpson with four.
- The Norse were able to keep errors low in the opening frame, aiding the 25-18 set win over the Panthers behind a .282 hitting percentage with just four miscues.
- Redshirt-senior libero Lauren Hurley led the back line with six digs.
Second Set Summary
- Hitting efficiency dipped in the second set, with NKU hitting at just a .026 clip while allowing the Panthers to hit .256.
- Libs and Simpson were the only attackers able to string together more than one kill, each posting three.
- NKU led a balanced defensive effort, with four Norse recording three digs or more.
Third Set Summary
- Milwaukee hit .062 in the third set, but a flat .000 hitting percentage from the Norse allowed the Panthers to take a 2-1 edge courtesy of a 25-22 set win.
- Libs had three more kills, while senior middle hitter Keely Creamer chipped in threekills to go with two blocks.
Fourth Set Summary
- NKU had a strong showing at the net in the fourth set en route to a 25-17 win to push a fifth game. The Norse recorded five blocks, with two from Creamer, junior middle Georgia Childers and freshman setter Shelby Olsen.
- Libs went off for six kills, while Hurley racked up six more digs in the back row.
Fifth Set Summary
- Milwaukee's middle blocker Bridget Wallenberger proved to be too much for the Norse in the final set as she had six kills with no errors to help the Panthers hit .296 in the 25-10 victory, while NKU hit .111 as a team.
- Libs added three more kills and Hurley had six more digs to wrap up the match.
Norse Notes
- NKU has dropped five-set matches in consecutive outings, recently going the distance but falling short to Loyola Chicago in the nonconference finale.
- The series with the Panthers now stands at 0-3 all-time.
- Libs recorded her second-consecutive double-double with a season-high 20 kills at a .264 clip to go with 11 digs. She also set a new career high in aces, with four.
- Simpson was the only other hitter in double figures, with 14 kills and a .227 clip. She also tied her career best in blocks, with four.
- Hurley had the fifth 20-dig match of her career, leading the Norse with 24 digs.
- Two other defensive specialists recorded 10 digs apiece: junior DS McKenzie Eskridge and freshman DS Jaden Thiem.
- NKU had more than 10 blocks for just the second time this season, topped only by the 13-block outing against Marshall on Aug. 27.
- The Norse's 72 digs mark a season high for the team.
- Creamer tied her season high in blocks with six rejections.
- Olsen had 46 assists.
Up Next
- NKU remains in Wisconsin for the second match of the Horizon League slate. The Norse take on Green Bay on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. ET.
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