HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – After the Barcelona HBU Classic was cancelled last week due to Hurricane Harvey, Northern Kentucky volleyball will open up the 2017 season this weekend in Pittsburgh at the Duquesne Invitational, Sept. 1-2. The Norse play two matches on Friday, Sept. 1, starting with Robert Morris at 1 p.m. ET before a 7 p.m. match against the host Dukes. The tournament concludes at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, against Canisius. Live video streaming is available for Friday's match against Duquesne.
HINDERED BY HURRICANE HARVEY: The Norse were set to kick off the campaign in Houston at the Barcelona HBU Classic with matches against Texas Tech, Texas Southern and Houston Baptist. However, the team received word the first morning of the tournament that the HBU campus would be closing in anticipation of heavy rainfall brought on by Hurricane Harvey, and the tournament was cancelled. NKU is one of just 13 schools in NCAA Division I that does not have a single match under its belt entering the weekend, joining the entire Ivy League, Incarnate Word, Mississippi Valley, Norfolk State and Prairie View in the group of schools with a clean slate following opening weekend.
LAST TIME OUT: NKU took advantage of one of the NCAA's newest additions to the rulebook during the preseason camp, hosting the defending Mid-American Conference Co-Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Miami (Ohio) in an intercollegiate scrimmage on Aug. 19. Every member of the Norse squad got playing time over the course of five 25-point sets, which saw Miami take three of the five games. However, NKU's starting lineup proved to be strong as the Norse claimed the first and fifth sets, which featured the rotation of
Shelby Olsen at setter,
Kelly Turner at right side,
Georgia Childers and
Bailey Western at middle blocker,
Laura Crawford and
Haley Libs at outside, and
Ashton Terrill as the libero.
Libs and Crawford paced the team in kills, with Libs posting a double-double of 14 kills and a team-best 17 digs while Crawford had 12 kills over four sets. Olsen also registered a double-double, dishing out 36 assists to go with 15 digs. Childers led the squad in blocks, with five of NKU's eight stops at the net, while Terrill added 14 digs and four aces to her stat line.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS: The Colonials opened up their season in Indianapolis at the Butler Bulldog Brawl, going 1-3 over the weekend. RMU won its season opener against Stony Brook, but fell to Eastern Michigan, Butler and Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are not the only Horizon League team that Robert Morris has faced this season, as the team had a midweek contest at Youngstown State, which saw the Penguins claim a 3-2 victory.
So far on the young season, RMU has seen strong production out of freshman middle Emma Granger, who is averaging 2.84 kills per set, including 15 kills at a .500 clip in her career debut against Stony Brook. The 6-foot-4 rookie has also been a force at the net with .84 blocks a contest, accounting for more than half of RMU's output at the net. Complementing the fresh talent is the experienced senior Brianna Frakes as the team's primary setter, averaging 7.55 assists per set, while Whitney Brown has dished out 4.14 a game. The Colonials enter the weekend as a strong defensive team, averaging 16.6 digs per set, led by outside hitter Taylor Lord (3.65) and libero Allie Yurkovich (3.48).
SCOUTING DUQUESNE: The Dukes are still searching for their first win of the season, as well as their first set win after being swept in all three contests at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by Bowling Green. In addition to a loss to the host Falcons, Duquesne also fell to Xavier and UIC. Like Robert Morris, a freshman is leading the Dukes in kills per set, with outside hitter Maria Morsbacher averaging 3.44 k/s at a .247 clip. Also producing well from the pin is Maddie Bazelake, as well as middle blocker Abbie Trzeciak, as the pair both average .267 kills a game. The Dukes' offense is run by Dani Suiter and Sydney McGinn, averaging 8.78 and 4.00 assists per set, respectively, while Molly Davet paces the squad with 3.89 digs per set.
SCOUTING CANISIUS: The Golden Griffins went 1-2 at the Buffalo Invitational to open up the year, winning the final match in a sweep against Hampton after falling to Central Arkansas (3-0) and Buffalo (3-2). Claire Leonard earned all-tournament honors after averaging 2.45 kills per set while Samantha Zebuth and Leah Simmons also average more than two terminations a game. Cassidy Ceriani runs the offense, posting 8.00 assists and three digs per set, as well as .45 aces per set to lead a team that averages nearly two points from behind the service line per game. Ceriani and libero Sofia Lopez Acosta are the only two Golden Griffins who average more than a dig per set, with Lopez Acosta leading the charge at 3.64 d/s.
UNCHARTED TERRITORY: All three opponents at the Duquesne Invitational are programs that NKU has never faced in its 41 years of volleyball.
