HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball showed tremendous fight in the third and fourth sets, but ultimately fell to Oakland, 25-15, 25-17, 28-30, 25-22. With the loss, NKU drops to 9-11 overall and 5-6 in Horizon League competition, while Oakland advances to 13-10 (8-3 HL). During the first set, junior outside hitter
Haley Libs became the 19
th member of NKU's 1,000-kill club.
First Set Summary
- The Norse were only able to put seven kills away in the first set, also committing seven hitting errors while Oakland hit .419 with 17 kills.
- The frame started to slip away when the Golden Grizzlies went on a substantial serving run, going from a 6-4 to a 12-4 lead.
- Libs led the Norse offensively with four kills, which were all she needed to record the 1,000th kill of her career. She also added three digs.
Second Set Summary
- Another key string of points gave Oakland the lead early in the second set, and the Golden Grizzlies didn't look back en route to a 25-17 set win.
- Libs recorded four more kills, while McKenzie Eskridge paced the defense with five digs.
- NKU was more successful in its offense with 13 kills, but Oakland stayed hot with a .387 hitting percentage.
Third Set Summary
- As has been the trend, NKU came out strong after the intermission. The Norse kept pace with the Golden Grizzlies and faced four match points before coming away with a 30-28 win. A block from Drew Hendricks and Bailey Western gave the Norse the advantage, while Hendricks served up an ace to take the frame.
- Libs had five kills and six digs, while Western added four kills and three blocks and Kaelin Gentile hit .600 on five swings.
- The Norse were in more of a defensive groove, with 25 team digs as Eskridge added six more and Shelby Olsen and Ashton Terrill added four each.
Fourth Set Summary
- Oakland took an early lead, but that was chipped away by the Norse to tie it up at 7-7. The game remained a back-and-forth affair until the end, when Oakland ended it on a 4-1 run.
- Libs used four kills to round out her match, while Hendricks and Kelly Turner both had two. Hendricks also added two aces to her stat line.
Norse Notes
- Libs recorded her seventh-straight double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs, and was the only Norse to hit in double figures.
- Eskridge led the back row with 14 digs, while Terrill added 11.
- Western was just short of double-digit kills, hitting .231 with nine terminations to go with four blocks. Gentile also had four blocks for the Norse, along with six kills.
- Hendricks had a career night from the service line with three aces, also adding four blocks and five kills to her stat line.
- Oakland showed why it is the top blocking team in the Horizon League and one of the best in the nation, rejecting 17 of NKU's attacks. The Golden Grizzlies were also staunch in the back row, out-digging the Norse 78-58.
- NKU is now 1-11 all-time against Oakland.
Up Next
- The Norse are back in action tomorrow against Youngstown State at 4 p.m. ET. The matches will be broadcast on ESPN3 with streaming available on computers, tablets, smart phones and streaming devices through WatchESPN and the ESPN App. Additionally, fans who come to the match in a Halloween costume will receive free admission.
#TakeNotice
