HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball is back at home this weekend for a Sunday matinee against UIC. The match will be carried on ESPN+ with Mike Schmaltz on the call, and Sunday will also serve as Alumnae Day to welcome back former Norse players. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse moved to 4-1 with a road sweep of Youngstown State on Wednesday afternoon, downing the Penguins 25-22, 25-19, 25-13.
Haley Libs recorded her eighth-straight double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs, and
Shelby Olsen added a double-double of her own with 20 assists and 15 digs.
Ashton Terrill continued to put up impressive numbers in the back row with 22 digs, moving her closer to 6.00 digs per set for the season. The Norse held Youngstown State to a .078 hitting percentage, marking the third time this season that an opponent has been held under .100.
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 4.15 kills and 3.83 digs per set to help the Norse hold an 11-4 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 sixth-straight week, NKU tops the nation with 20.42 digs per set. Sophomore libero
Ashton Terrill ranks fifth nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.95 digs per set, while senior outside hitter
Haley Libs is second on the team with 3.82 digs per set. Back row defense has become a staple of NKU volleyball, with the Norse ranking 16th nationally in the 2017 season.
SCOUTING UIC: Like the Norse, the Flames are coming off a three-set win over Youngstown State, taking down the Penguins in Chicago, 25-13, 25-18, 25-19. The Flames run a 6-2 offense with Marija Borcic and Lauren Musante spreading the sets evenly between four key players. Paola Santiago leads the team with 2.49 kills per set, Kiera James adds 2.45 kps and Clara Lamb chips in 2.24 kps. Manuela Conte is also one of the primary hitters, with 1.83 kills per set but is a key six-rotation player with 3.37 digs per set. UIC is a strong blocking team with 2.30 rejections per set, led by Tatyana Ndekwe with 1.12 blocks per set, good for third in the Horizon League.
In Horizon League-only matches, the Flames are tied with Cleveland State for the top hitting percentage, connecting at a .224 clip. UIC is also in the top half in kills per set (14.16) and blocks per set (2.21), and ranks seventh with 18.37 digs per set. NKU leads the all-time series with the Flames, 8-1, and rides a five-match winning streak entering Sunday's contest. In the last matchup, NKU swept the Flames, 25-14, 25-23, 25-23 on Nov. 4, 2017 in Regents Hall.
