INDIANAPOLIS – Northern Kentucky volleyball dropped its first Horizon League match on the road against League newcomer, IUPUI. The Jaguars downed the Norse in four sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-27, 25-11. With the setback, NKU drops to 5-6 overall and 1-1 in League action while IUPUI moves on to 6-9 (2-0 HL).
First Set Summary
- IUPUI matched up well with the Norse, as the two teams traded points for nearly the entirety of the opening frame.
- NKU had built momentum to lead it, 17-14, but a service error by the Norse paved the way for a four-point Jaguar run to take the lead.
- The Norse called a timeout when trailing 22-21 in hopes of icing the Jaguars, but IUPUI took the last three points for the 25-21 win.
- Laura Crawford paced the team with five kills along with four digs, while NKU's defense was led by setter Shelby Olsen, with eight scoops in the set.
- Georgia Childers added three kills on six swings, and Haley Libs dug up five of IUPUI's attack attempts.
Second Set Summary
- The second set was similar to the first with back-and-forth point accumulation, but NKU was the one to find itself on the lower end of a 17-13 count.
- The Norse used a series of IUPUI errors to claw back and tie it up at 18-18, but the Jaguars once again pulled away at the end by taking advantage of back-to-back hitting errors by NKU followed by a pair of kills.
- Libs took the lead on offense with four kills, but was avoided in the back row with just one dig for the frame.
- Crawford led the team with five digs, also adding two kills and a block.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse hit .250 in order to push the fourth set, led by Childers with four kills on six swings to go with a pair of blocks.
- NKU fell behind early, trailing by as many as five points for most of the first half of the set.
- The Norse slowly chipped away at the deficit once IUPUI had reached the 20-point threshold thanks to some key errors by the Jaguars.
- NKU faced two match points, but maintained composure and won the set, 27-25.
Fourth Set Summary
- IUPUI completely controlled the final frame, hitting .462 while NKU hit -.100.
- The Norse were able to record nine kills with two apiece from Childers, Drew Hendricks and Olsen, but 13 errors proved to be too much to overcome in the 25-11 set.
Norse Notes
- Olsen recorded her third-straight double-double with 32 assists and 16 digs, also recording six kills, two blocks and an ace.
- Crawford and Childers both recorded nine kills to lead the NKU offense. Crawford also posted 16 digs, and Childers led the team at the net with three blocks.
- Libs and Hendricks added seven kills apiece.
- In her first match playing libero for the entire contest, Eskridge had eight digs and a career-best seven assists.
- NKU was held under .100 for the match, while the Jaguars connected at a .234 clip. NKU was also out-blocked and out-dug by IUPUI.
- The match marked IUPUI's first win over NKU, as the Norse held a 2-0 edge in the all-time series, which had been on hiatus since Oct. 11, 1995.
Up Next
- NKU hits the road again to take on Youngstown State on Friday, Sept. 29 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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