HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball hits the road for one last time in the regular season as the Norse travel to Chicago to take on UIC on Friday, Nov. 2. First serve against the Flames is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT/7 ET and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse started a new winning streak, taking down their third-straight opponent with a dominant sweep of Youngstown State on Wednesday night. The Norse freshman shone in the victory, led by Anna Brinkmann's 10 kills, nine digs and five aces. Miranda Wucherer was also just off a double-double with 17 assists and nine digs to go with five kills at a .455 clip, while Natalie Hardig had seven kills on 10 swings to go with three blocks. The Norse held an opponent under .100 for the fourth time this season as the Penguins hit .079 while NKU had just eight miscues for a .365 hitting percentage. Additionally, junior setter Shelby Olsen moved into NKU's all-time career assists top-10 list, surpassing Stacey Meimann with 2,023 career assists.
 
STAY CLASSY: Senior outside hitter Haley Libs made the cut in the second round of the Senior CLASS Award and was named one of 10 national finalists on Oct. 25. The award recognizes the rounded student-athlete who has accomplishments in the four C's of classroom, character, community and competition. The winner will be determined by a voting system that includes one-third weighted by a fan ballot and the other two-thirds coming from AVCA coaches and national media. Fans can vote for Libs every day on multiple devices until Dec. 5 by visiting www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/volleyball_2018.
  
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 4.06 kills and 3.82 digs per set to help the Norse hold an 16-8 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 Matthew 25 Ministry, Henry Hosea Soup Kitchen and serving as an ambassador for Team IMPACT.
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: For the 10th-straight week, NKU tops the nation with 19.76 digs per set. Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill ranks ninth nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.59 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: The Flames hold the third-place spot in the League with an 8-4 mark and are 15-10 overall. UIC's offense has been sparked by redshirt-freshman Kiera James, who has seen marked improvement since entering the Horizon League slate and is averaging 4.30 kills per set at a .246 clip to lead all league players. UIC's offense is run primarily through its outsides with Paola Santiago averaging 3.29 kills per set opposite James. The Flames made a lineup change prior to the previous meeting with the Norse, moving Manuela Conte off the pin and into the libero role, and the sophomore has stepped up to the occasion by averaging 5.32 digs per set in league play and has already broken the UIC single-match digs record.
  
NKU leads the all-time series, 8-2, but the last meeting ended in heartbreak for the Norse as the Flames took a five-setter from NKU on Oct. 7. Haley Libs registered 23 kills, but no other Norse reached double-digit kills as strong defense and a potent offense lifted the Flames to victory.