HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball picked up its second win of the week with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-23 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Norse move to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in Horizon League action, while the Panthers drop to 8-12 (1-5 HL).
The Quote
"I thought Shelby (Olsen) did a really good job distributing the offense to put people in great situations based on what she was seeing from their middle blockers. Our middles did a great job and hit for high percentages in double digit kills, so I'm incredibly proud of them and the work they've been putting in. " – Head Coach
Liz Hart
First Set Summary
- NKU overcame some rough patches midway through the opening set before hitting stride and terminating well to edge the Panthers by four points.
- Kaelin Gentile and Drew Hendricks each contributed four kills, while Bailey Western hit .750 with three kills.
- Milwaukee was able to stay in the match with a strong net presence, with three blocks, which funneled well to libero Mykie Olsen, who picked up nine digs in the opening frame.
Second Set Summary
- UWM's Bridget Wallenberger carried the Panthers to a 25-22 win in the second set, putting away seven kills with no errors off 10 swings.
- NKU's offense was distributed well as each hitter had at least two kills and the entire team hit .209, but a more efficient UWM squad hitting at .326 proved to be a difference maker.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse improved their efficiency drastically with a .444 hitting percentage while forcing Milwaukee into seven errors in the third set.
- Haley Libs helped the Norse jump out to a 6-2 lead with a substantial serving run, and Gentile helped fuel a run in the back half of the set as well.
- Libs took only five swings in the set, but put away three with no errors and also contributed defensively with four digs, as did McKenzie Eskridge.
- Western had another productive set with three kills at a .750 clip, as did Gentile.
Fourth Set Summary
- UWM went on an early run in the final set, but NKU used a series of Milwaukee miscues coupled with key kills from Libs to pull ahead, 13-11.
- Milwaukee kept the set tight, knotting the score up until the 23-23 point. Following a timeout, Libs notched her final kill of the match before Gentile and Laura Crawford teamed up for an emphatic match-ending block.
- Libs had six terminations in the set along with two blocks.
- Crawford led the defensive effort with six digs and a block, also adding a pair of kills.
Norse Notes
- The win marked just the second victory over Milwaukee in the all-time series. The Norse have now won two in-a-row over the Panthers.
- Libs had her second-consecutive double-double with 15 kills and 14 digs. She also matched her season high in blocks and aces, with three and two, respectively.
- Eskridge and Crawford also had double-digit dig matches, with 12 apiece. Eskridge had an outstanding match from the service line as well with four aces, just one off her career best.
- Overall, the Norse had 11 aces while committing just one reception error. The 11 aces were the most by the team since a 3-1 victory over Wright State on Sept. 3, 2013.
- Gentile also had a pair of aces to couple with 12 kills at a .346 clip and three blocks.
- Hendricks had her fourth-straight double-digit kills match with 12 kills.
- Western hit the 10-kill threshold for the first time in her career, hitting .450 with 10 kills along with three blocks.
Up Next
- NKU is on the road for a midweek contest against preseason League favorite Cleveland State on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ESPN3 with streaming available on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
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