HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball made its Horizon League opener a memorable one, dropping the first two sets to Wright State before rattling off three games for a thrilling victory over the Raiders, 23-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-13. With the win, NKU moves on to 5-5 overall and 1-0 in Horizon League action while WSU drops to 6-9 (0-2 HL).
The Quote
"I'm very proud of the girls. I think we started off a little rough in set two, but when we came back at it we did a really great job executing our defenses. I thought we did a good job putting the ball away and did a better job serving more aggressively, and we were able to get them out of system. The Horizon League is so competitive, and most matches go four or five sets. It's really important to go up 1-0, and we have a tough match against IUPUI tomorrow." – Head Coach
Liz Hart
First Set Summary
- Wright State rightfully earned the bulk of its points in the opening frame with 18 kills, two blocks and an ace, but seven attacking errors kept NKU in the running.
- The game went back-and-forth with both teams recording multi-point runs, but WSU pulled ahead by two and was able to seal the first set off a pair of kills from Katie Klusman.
- Haley Libs led NKU's offense with six kills on 20 swings, while Laura Crawford added four kills. NKU's defense was led by McKenzie Eskridge and Ashton Terrill, with six and five digs, respectively.
Second Set Summary
- NKU came out strong in the second set, pulling ahead 5-1, but a trio of Norse errors coupled with two more kills from Klusman quickly saw the lead fade and swing in favor of WSU.
- The Norse hit .000 in the frame, only mustering eight kills, led by three from Crawford.
Third Set Summary
- Following the intermission, NKU allowed the Raiders to have a lead just once in the set, when WSU had a 7-6 advantage before NKU went on a 5-1 run to establish an advantage that would be kept for the remainder of the frame.
- NKU made a key change before the start of the third set, which saw Eskridge take over libero duties for the remainder of the contest.
- Libs blasted seven kills, including the final five by NKU in the set, to pace the offense, and also added four digs.
- Crawford chipped in four kills and five digs, while Eskridge led the defense with six digs.
Fourth Set Summary
- NKU kept its energy high in order to push the fifth set, hitting .238 while holding Wright State to just .024 in the fourth game.
- Libs was consistently strong with five more kills, four digs and a block, while Drew Hendricks heated up with four kills on seven swings to go with a block assist.
Fifth Set Summary
- Both teams were offensively efficient in the deciding set, with NKU hitting .323 while the Raiders connected at a .381 clip. However, the Norse had more opportunites to swing with 31 attempts, compared to 21 for WSU.
- Libs capped off her tremendous performance with six kills and three digs in the 15-point set, while Hendricks added three kills on five swings.
- Wright State got the switch with an 8-7 lead and extended to a 10-8 edge over the Norse, but two-straight kills from Libs righted the Norse ship and allowed NKU to end the frame on three-consecutive terminations, one from each of the wings.
Norse Notes
- NKU had not won a five-set match after losing the first two sets since Nov. 7, 2015 at Youngstown State (14-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-15, 15-8).
- NKU moves to 18-12 in the all-time series against Wright State. The Norse have gone 8-1 against the Raiders since moving to Division I.
- Libs tied her career high of 26 kills, taking 79 swings to hit .203 for the match. She also added 17 digs for her second-straight double-double, and the 23rd of her career. She also added three block assists.
- Crawford also had a double-double, her sixth of the season, with 14 kills and 16 digs.
- Olsen was one dig shy of joining the duo, dishing out a career-best 57 assists to go with nine digs and three blocks.
- Georgia Childers had a solid evening with seven kills and a .300 hitting percentage, also leading the squad with six blocks.
- Terrill finished with 19 digs, while Eskridge had 17 digs and an ace.
- Hendricks added nine kills and a pair of blocks.
- The Norse hit .172 for the match and held the Raiders to .151 throughout five sets. The defensive battle was a balanced one, with NKU recording 85 digs compared to 84 for the Raiders, while WSU had 10 blocks to NKU's eight.
Up Next
- The Norse travel to Indianapolis to take on IUPUI tomorrow for a 2 p.m. contest. The Jaguars picked up their first win in the Horizon League yesterday evening, also courtesy of a five-setter over Wright State. 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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