HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball is on the road to wrap up the first half of Horizon League competition. The Norse travel to Indianapolis on Saturday, Oct. 13, for a 4 p.m. match against IUPUI before the short trip to Dayton, Ohio on Sunday, Oct. 14, where the Norse will take on Wright State at 4 p.m. The match against the Raiders will be carried on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU fell victim to a series of career bests by UIC's players and dropped a five-setter to the Flames at home. Haley Libs posted her ninth-straight double-double and the 50th of her career with 23 kills and 17 digs, while Shelby Olsen also added her third-straight double-double with 24 assists and 10 digs. The Norse front line had its strongest outing of the season with 16.5 blocks, led by freshman Natalie Hardig with nine rejections while Bailey Western had seven blocks. Ashton Terrill continued to lead the back row with 25 digs.
 
STAY CLASSY: Senior outside hitter Haley Libs was named one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The candidate pool will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 finalists will go into a nationwide voting system distributed to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
  
Libs has been an exemplary student-athlete during her NKU career, leading the Norse in kills in every season while holding a flawless 4.00 grade point average. She is a two-time Horizon League All-Academic honoree and was named to the CoSIDA All-District team in 2017. Libs has been saving her best season for last, averaging 4.19 kills and 3.79 digs per set to help the Norse hold an 12-5 overall record thus far. With regards to character, she is a three-time captain as chosen by her teammates for her commitment and work ethic to both volleyball and academic studies. Finally, she has been a leader within NKU volleyball's many community outreach efforts, working with Mathew 25 Ministry, Henry Hosea Soup Kitchen and serving as an ambassador for Team IMPACT.
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: For the seventh-straight week, NKU tops the nation with 20.06 digs per set. Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill ranks sixth nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.88 digs per set, while senior outside hitter Haley Libs is second on the team with 3.79 digs per set. Back row defense has become a staple of NKU volleyball, with the Norse ranking 16th nationally in the 2017 season.
 
SCOUTING IUPUI: Since graduating an impactful senior class last season, the Jaguars have struggled to post wins in 2018 with a 5-15 record. IUPUI has had more success since entering the Horizon League season, picking up victories over Oakland and Youngstown State, but is looking to prevent a losing streak after being swept by Milwaukee and Cleveland State in its latest outings. The match will be a battle of the top defensive teams in the nation, with NKU topping NCAA volleyball with 20.06 digs per set while the Jaguars sit at second nationally with 19.58 dps. Unlike the Norse, whose libero, Ashton Terrill, ranks sixth in the nation to bolster team statistics, the Jaguars have a collective team effort of four players averaging at least three digs per set. Rachel Hickey is tops on the team with 3.86 digs per set, while Rhia Schuenemann is averaging 3.83 digs per set. Maggie Gibson is not far behind with 3.57 digs per set and leads the team with 2.97 kills per set. The Jaguars also have a potent middle in Abby Boatman, who is hitting at a .341 percentage with 2.65 kills per set while also averaging 1.15 blocks per set.
 
NKU holds a 3-2 record in the all-time series with IUPUI, which was recently renewed when the Jaguars joined the Horizon League last season. The Jaguars took both meetings in the regular season in four sets, but NKU reciprocated with a 3-1 win in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on Nov. 17, 2017.
 
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders have gone 9-9 overall under first-year head coach Allie Matters, but have posted a 1-5 record against Horizon League opponents with a 3-1 win over UIC serving as their only victory. Wright State has used strong serving to keep teams off balance, averaging 1.53 aces per set and a 1:1.3 ace-to-error ratio. Celia Powers leads the starters with 2.70 kills per set and is also averaging 2.00 digs per set. Teddie Sauer has been valuable in a variety of categories, as the middle blocker is averaging 2.44 kills, 0.87 blocks and .43 aces per set. Before going down with injury after playing Appalachian State, Abby Barcus was averaging 2.87 kills and 3.55 digs per set, but her status is unknown.
  
The Norse hold a 19-12 advantage in the all-time series against the Raiders and enter the weekend riding a five-match winning streak. When the Norse last faced Wright State in Dayton on Oct. 20, 2017, NKU dropped a tight first set, 24-26, before winning the next three, 25-20, 25-17, 25-11.