HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball returns home to host UIC and Milwaukee in a pair of Horizon League matchups on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6-7. The Norse take on the Flames on Friday at 6 p.m. ET before a 4 p.m. tilt with the Panthers on Saturday. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Mike Schmaltz on the call. Fans can stream the contests live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.

 LAST TIME OUT: NKU hit a major milestone as a program last weekend, as the Norse posted their 1,000th win in the 42-year team history with a 3-1 win over Youngstown State. The Penguins claimed the opening set, but NKU rattled off the next three sets to remain undefeated in the series history with YSU. Haley Libs led the team with 21 kills and 15 digs, connecting at a .395 clip, while freshman Kaelin Gentile had a career night with 11 kills at a .346 clip. Drew Hendricks was consistently successful throughout the weekend with a career-best 13 kills against both Youngstown State and Oakland, to which the Norse dropped a 3-1 decision on Saturday. NKU used multiple lineup changes, switching Hendricks and Laura Crawford to the left and right pins, respectively, while Libs took over libero duties and Kelly Turner filled in the other outside hitter spot. Libs racked up 19 digs while Crawford led the squad with 18 kills, but an efficient Oakland offense led by Darien Bandel's 27 kills at .407 from the left pin overpowered the Norse on the road.
 
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE:  Both Haley Libs and Laura Crawford are averaging double-doubles on the young season, with 13.00 kills/14.15 digs and 12.46 kills/13.00 digs per match, respectively. The duo recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the first two matches of the season against Robert Morris and Duquesne, and again versus Seattle and Sacramento State.
  
The Robert Morris match marked a feat that had not been accomplished in nearly a decade. Two players with a double-double in a sweep is a feat in and of itself, but the rarity is even more so when the two players are both attackers. The last time a pair of Norse attackers registered double-doubles in a sweep was on Oct. 21, 2007 against Mount St. Joseph, when current head coach Liz Hart (née Holmes) had 16 kills and 10 digs in the three-set victory while Tristen Dye added 15 kills and 14 digs. The last time two attackers had double-doubles in a victory of any kind was on Nov. 14, 2015 against Cleveland State, courtesy of Libs (17 kills, 13 digs) and Jayden Julian (10 kills, 17 digs).
  
AND SETTER MAKES THREE: Shelby Olsen has also entered the fold as a double-double machine, averaging 40.46 assists and 11.62 digs per match. Olsen recorded the first double-double of her career against Seattle and went off for three-straight double-doubles throughout the entirety of the NKU Invitational, culminating in career bests of 53 assists and 17 digs (which was bested by 20 digs against Florida A&M on Sept. 16) against Bowling Green. Olsen is currently riding another streak of three double-doubles against IUPUI, Youngstown State and Oakland.
 
BACK LINE OF DEFENSE:  Northern Kentucky's defense has become a mainstay of its success, and the Norse are keeping up with the trend of being one of the top defensive teams in the Horizon League. NKU is not only leading the Horizon League in digs per set (18.22) and is second in opponent hitting percentage (.200), but the team ranks seventh nationally in the former. Ashton Terrill and Haley Libs are doing their fair share of keeping opponents' offense at bay from the back row, as both rank among the League's top defenders.
 
SCOUTING UIC: The Flames are one of the hottest teams in the Horizon League in the first year under head coach Justin Ingram, sitting at 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon League. UIC's lone loss in League play came by way of a 3-1 setback on the road at undefeated Green Bay this past weekend, and the Flames narrowly escaped another defeat with a 3-2 win over Milwaukee the next night.
  
Since entering the Horizon League slate, UIC has been leading the League in hitting percentage with a .266 clip thanks in large part to a balanced 6-2 offense run by Nicole Johnson and Kaliegh Skopal. Johnson pairs up opposite Kyisha Hunt, who leads the team with 3.51 kills per set. Johnson and Skopal spread their sets well, as each of the six primary hitters average at least 1.80 kps and all are hitting above .200 since entering the League season. Carla Salvato leads UIC in the back row, averaging 4.49 digs per set, while Manuela Conte also contributes heavily in the back half of her six rotations with 3.91 dps.
  
NKU holds a 6-1 record against the Flames in the all-time series, with the lone loss coming in the first meeting since the Norse moved to Division I. NKU swept the Flames at home last year and eluded defeat in the regular-season finale on the road with a 3-2 win on Nov. 12.
 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: Milwaukee is 8-10 overall and 1-3 in League play, but the team has played the top half of the Horizon League in its opening matches with losses to Green Bay, UIC and Cleveland State while picking up a 3-1 win over Oakland.
  
The Panthers return the bulk of their team from last season, including three all-freshman team honorees led by the 2016 HL Freshman of the Year, Bridget Wallenberger. The middle blocker continues to lead the team in her sophomore campaign and has picked up her production in the past two weeks, averaging 4.00 kills per set at a .390 hitting percentage, the latter of which leads the League. Also contributing on offense is Caitlin Schultz, who averages 3.21 kps from the pins and is the tallest outside in the League at 6-foot-4. Jenn Dore leads the Panther offense with 11.17 assists per set, a number that sits in the top-25 nationally.
  
As a team, Milwaukee has been statistically balanced in most categories, sitting in the top-five of the majority excluding digs per set (13.26) and opponent hitting percentage (.242). While the Panthers sit on the low end of the spectrum in back-row defense, the front line has been averaging 2.23 blocks per set, led by 1.12 rejections a game from Wallenberger.
  
Milwaukee is a team that has given the Norse trouble in the past, with the Panthers leading 3-1 in an all-time series that began when NKU joined the Horizon League. The Norse avenged a League season-opening loss to the Panthers on Nov. 5 last year, dispatching Milwaukee in 25-13, 25-19, 25-15 sets.