GREEN BAY, Wis. – Northern Kentucky volleyball dropped its second Horizon League match, falling to Green Bay in three sets, 25-16, 25-22, 25-15. With the setback, the Norse dip to 6-7 on the season and 0-2 in League play, while the Phoenix advance to 10-4 (2-0 HL).
First Set Summary
- Green Bay's attack behind a .400 hitting percentage aided the Phoenix en route to a 25-16 set win over NKU.
- Senior Keely Creamer led the team with three kills on six swings, while sophomore Haley Libs and junior DS McKenzie Eskridge defended the back row with five digs apiece.
- The Norse hit .167 in the set, and were unable to muster a block.
Second Set Summary
- NKU hit a solid .250 in the second frame, which was the closest of the three sets at 25-22.
- Freshman rightside hitter Laura Crawford blasted six kills, while senior outside Tristen Simpson added five to lead the offense.
- Libs continued to have a strong showing in the back row, scooping up six digs while redshirt-libero Lauren Hurley and Crawford added four each.
Third Set Summary
- Libs added four kills in the final set, but a .097 hitting percentage for the team compared to .308 by the Phoenix hindered the overall performance in the 25-15 decision.
- NKU rejected four swings in the set, led by junior middle blocker Georgia Childers with three block assists while Crawford added two.
Norse Notes
- NKU hit .181 as a team while Green Bay hit .370 and committed just seven errors.
- The Norse have now lost five straight matches. It has been 25 years since NKU dropped five consecutive contests, with five defeats between Sept. 20-28, 1991.
- Defensively, the match was even as both teams notched 43 digs while Green Bay had just one more block than NKU, 6-5.
- Libs fell short of her third-consecutive double-double with nine kills and 12 digs.
- Simpson also notched nine kills in the setback, while Crawford set a new career best with eight kills off a .438 hitting percentage.
- Childers led at the net with three block assists, while Creamer recorded NKU's lone solo block to with a block assist.
- Hurley added 11 digs, while freshman setter Shelby Olsen led the offense with 29 assists.
Up Next
- After the spending the first 13 matches of the 2016 season on the road, the Norse will host their first matches in Regents Hall. The home opener against League foe Cleveland State is set for a 6 p.m. ET first serve on Friday, Sept. 30. The contest will also be NKU's alumnae night. On Saturday, Oct. 1, NKU will host Oakland at 4 p.m.
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