HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball opens up the Horizon League slate this weekend, hosting Wright State on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m. ET, before traveling to Indianapolis for a 2 p.m. match against League newcomer IUPUI on Sunday, Sept. 24. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN3, with Mike Schmaltz returning to the call for Saturday's match at home. Fans can stream the broadcast live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse faced their toughest tournament field of the season at the Gator Invitational, which was hosted by No. 3 Florida and also included perennial A-Sun favorite Lipscomb as well as Florida A&M. NKU suffered three-set setbacks to the Bisons and the Gators before dropping a tight contest to the Rattlers. Haley Libs was named to the all-tournament team, and her appearance was capped off by the second 20-and-20 match of her career when she recorded 24 kills and 20 digs against FAMU. The match also saw the Norse record 113 digs as a team, led by a career-best 26 digs from freshman libero Ashton Terrill.
 
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 (19.15) and opponent hitting percentage (.180), but the team ranks third 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 WRIGHT STATE: Wright State sits at 6-7 on the season, having started off the year against some of the nation's toughest competition against the likes of Iowa, Long Beach State and then-No. 2 Stanford. WSU started the season on a four-match losing skid, but enters Horizon League play riding three-straight sweeps to take the title of the Chicago State Invitational with wins over Southeast Missouri, Louisiana and Chicago State.
  
The Raiders are led by an experienced pack of seniors, all five of whom have played every set this season. Katie Klusman, an All-League honorable mention in 2016, returns for her final season with the Raiders and leads the team with 3.54 kills per set, good for fifth in the League. The Raider offense is also run by a seasoned veteran playing in her last year, with Maddie Lohmeier averaging 10.02 assists per set. Arguably, WSU's most impactful player so far has been another senior, Jessie Thornton. The reigning HL Defensive Player of the Week paces the Horizon League by nearly half a dig per set with 5.26 dps, which is good for 29th nationally. Similar to NKU, Wright State has kept up with its competition by playing scrappy defense and extending rallies, which is evident by the fact that the Raiders sit right behind the Norse in the League rankings in both digs per set (17.15) and team attacks per set (38.72).
  
The two teams will be meeting on the hardwood for the 30th time in the history of the programs, with NKU holding a 17-12 advantage in the all-time series. Since transitioning to Division I, NKU has gone 7-1 against WSU and has swept the Raiders in the past three meetings.
 
SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars enter the weekend as the new kids on the block, as IUPUI joined the Horizon League prior to the start of the 2017-18 academic year. IUPUI has compiled a 4-9 record so far this season, with wins over Georgia Southern, Florida International, Ball State and Indiana State. IUPUI has also taken on its fair share of nationally-respected competition, falling to No. 24 Wichita State as well as RV Cal Poly.
  
IUPUI returns Kori Welbroeck, an All-Summit League honoree last season who continues to lead the offense in 2017 with 3.84 kills per set. Walbroek receives the bulk of IUPUI's sets, and has recorded more than double the kills of the next leading attacker on the team. The second match of the weekend should also prove to be a defensive battle as the Jaguars rank third in the League with 17.04 digs per set, led by Jessica helms with 4.45 scoops a game.
  
NKU has only faced IUPUI twice in program history, claiming two victories in the side-out scoring era. Sunday will mark the first time that the teams have squared off since Oct. 11, 1995.