HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball exacted revenge on Wright State, which claimed a five-set win over the Norse on its home court on Oct. 14, with a 25-21, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19 win in Regents Hall on Sunday afternoon. The Norse move to 15-8 overall and 7-5 in Horizon League play with the victory, while the Raiders drop to 12-12 (4-8 HL).
First Set Summary
- Both teams started out terminating at high efficiency, but NKU's defense clamped down in the closing points with emphatic back-to-back blocks from Natalie Hardig and Laura Crawford to establish the set point.
- Haley Libs ended the frame with her fifth kill of the set. She hit .375 off eight swings.
- The Norse hit .308 and kept Wright State to .094 in the opening set.
Second Set Summary
- NKU used a .452 hitting percentage and five aces to cruise to a 2-0 advantage in the match.
- The Norse offense was spread evenly with Crawford leading the charge with four kills while Libs, Anna Brinkmann, Bailey Western and Miranda Wucherer added three kills apiece.
Third Set Summary
- Wright State started the third set on a 4-0 run, which gave the Raiders enough space to pull away with a two-point set win. The Norse pulled within a point thanks to an ace from Western, but NKU had two miscues following a timeout that led to Wright State's eventual set win.
- Both teams hit .238, but NKU's pins shone as Brinkmann posted a .429 hitting percentage with three kills and Libs hit .400 off of five terminations.
- The Norse defense picked up, led by Brinkmann's five digs while Olsen and Ashton Terrill added four each.
Fourth Set Summary
- After trading points with the Raiders to start the final set, NKU pulled away thanks to a strong serving run from Brinkmann and established a 12-8 lead. The Norse fought off a four-point run from the Raiders near the end of the frame and ended the contest by taking advantage of three Raider miscues.
- Libs added four kills off seven swings to go with four digs, and Western was 3-for-3 with a block assist.
Norse Notes
- Libs notched her 15th-straight double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs. She also hit .371 for the match and tied her season best with four blocks.
- Several other Norse were close to recording double-doubles. Brinkmann had eight kills and 12 digs, while Olsen had 26 assists, nine digs and two aces. Wucherer was just off a double-double with 25 assists and nine kills at a .304 clip and also added a pair of aces.
- Terrill led the Norse back line with 14 digs.
- NKU had 11.0 blocks as a team, led by Hardig's six rejections. In addition to Libs, Crawford and Western also added four blocks each.
Up Next
- The Norse host Youngstown State for a Halloween matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. The match will be carried on ESPN3.
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