HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball closed the regular season with its highest Division I finish, tying for second in the Horizon League with an 11-5 mark. The Norse enter the postseason this weekend at the 2018 Horizon League Volleyball Championship, hosted by top-seeded Green Bay in Green Bay, Wisconsin. NKU received the No. 3 seed in the tournament and is set to face off against No. 6 seed Wright State on Friday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. CT/4 ET. With a win, the Norse move on to play No. 2 Cleveland State at 6 p.m. CT/7 ET on Saturday, and the championship match will be held on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. CT/3 ET. All five matches of the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU went 2-0 over Oakland and Cleveland State to tie the Vikings for second in the final Horizon League standings. Against Oakland, the Norse had their strongest blocking performance of the season with 17.0 rejections in the four-set win. Natalie Hardig had eight blocks, while Bailey Western added seven and Anna Brinkmann had six. Haley Libs led the offense with her 21st double-double of the season with 14 kills and 10 digs. Libs then had a memorable Senior Day against the Vikings with 21 kills and 37 digs in the five-set victory, tying NKU's Division I-era single-match digs record. Brinkmann also added a double-double with 14 kills and 26 digs, and Miranda Wucherer recorded her fourth triple-double of the year with 10 kills, 34 assists and 12 digs.
 
FAB FIVE: Five Norse volleyball players earned All-Horizon League honors on Thursday afternoon. Libs and sophomore libero Ashton Terrill were named to the All-Horizon League First Team, with Western taking home honorable mention and Brinkmann and Wucherer landing on the all-freshman team. Libs earned first-team honors for the fourth time in her career, while it was Terrill's first time on the first team and Western's first honorable mention nod.
  
Libs leads the Norse with 4.06 kills per set and broke her own Division I-era single-season and single-match program kills records, tied the single-match digs record, became NKU's first Division I player to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, and is just the third player in the current scoring era to have a 30/30 match. In Horizon League contests, Libs was the only player to rank in the top-10 in both kills per set (3.94) and digs per set (3.97).
  
Terrill broke NKU's Division I single-season digs record with three matches to go in the regular season and continues to improve her mark with 589 digs so far. She ranks 14th in the nation with 5.50 digs per set, including 5.43 digs per set against Horizon League opponents. She has also been the team's most consistent passer on the year with a .972 reception percentage.
  
Western found her groove once Horizon League play hit, with 2.19 kills per set  and ranking in the top-10 in the league at a .283 clip. She is also just outside the top-10 with 1.02 blocks per set and led the team with 12 solo blocks.
  
Brinkmann ranked second on the team with 2.40 kills and 1.76 digs per set against Horizon League teams, and was NKU's top passer in league play with a .978 reception percentage. Her serving became a weapon towards the end of the season, with 11 of her 14 aces coming in the last four matches of the season.
  
Wucherer serves as a jack of all trades for the Norse, running the Norse offense in her back-row rotations and swinging in the front. She averaged 1.24 kills, 2.57 digs and 6.34 assists per set, the last of which ranked sixth among league players. She had four triple-doubles this year, making her the first Norse in over a decade to have a triple-double.
 
LIBS' LENGTHY LIST OF LAURELS: Libs has been saving her best season for last, and it has paid off to the tune of multiple accolades. This past week, Libs was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, the most of any player in the league, and was also named to the All-Horizon League First Team and the Horizon League All-Academic Team.
  
Prior to this week, Libs was twice named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week. On Sept. 9, she picked up league honors for her performances at the Dunn Hospitality Tournament. Libs hit .300 from the left pin, averaging 4.75 kills per set to lead the Norse to wins over Austin Peay and Evansville. She had her fifth career match with over 25 kills against the Governors, putting down 26 at a .286 clip and also added 14 digs. In the sweep of the host Purple Aces, Libs was even more efficient, hitting .333 with 12 kills to go with eight digs. Libs added a second league honor after taking MVP distinction at the Cougar Classic with a double-double in each match, including a pair of sweeps. Libs hit .282 over the weekend with 3.55 kills and 3.73 digs per set.
  
To top it all off, Libs was named to every all-tournament team in the preseason and was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, making the cut as one of 10 national finalists on Oct. 25.
 
STAY CLASSY: 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 3.94 digs per set to help the Norse hold an 19-8 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 entire regular season, NKU topped the nation in digs per set, currently at 19.83 dps. Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill ranks 14th nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.50 digs per set, while senior outside hitter Haley Libs is second on the team with 3.94 digs per set. Back row defense has become a staple of NKU volleyball, with the Norse ranking 16th nationally in the 2017 season.
 
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders clawed their way into the Horizon League Championship by taking down Cleveland State and Youngstown State last weekend, finishing with a 7-9 mark to jump Oakland in the standings. The appearance is a significant one for Wright State, as it is the team's first appearance in the postseason in a decade. Teddie Sauer earned first-team distinction for the Raiders, while Celia Powers claimed honorable mention and libero Jenna Story was named to the all-freshman team. The Raiders also have Abby Barcus back on the floor, who was ranked second on the team in kills per set but missed much of the season due to injury. She returned to action for the final four matches of the regular season.
  
Despite being the lowest seed in the tournament, Wright State has caused trouble for the rest of the league with regular-season wins over NKU, Cleveland State and UIC. The Raiders are one of the top serving teams in the league, averaging 1.19 aces per set led by Sauer's league-leading .51 aces per set, and use their strength from the service line to keep opponents out of system and off balance. Story has been vital in the back row for the Raiders, ranking second in the league with 5.60 digs per set.
  
NKU holds a 20-13 lead in the all-time series and split the regular season with the Raiders. Wright State won in a thrilling five-set match on its home court, but NKU took a comfortable four-set win over WSU on Oct. 28 in Regents Hall.
 
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings tied the Norse for second in the league standings, but edged NKU in the tiebreaker scenario to take the No. 2 seed. All-Horizon League First Team honoree Trinniti Hall headlines the Vikings' lineup as she averaged 3.05 kills per set at a .319 clip, ranking second in the latter, to go with 1.20 blocks per set for fourth in the league. Cleveland State also has honorable mentions Emily DeGeorge and Hannah Greene, with Greene topping the league standings at 1.59 blocks per set.
  
As a team, the Vikings' defense has been the standout as Cleveland State tops the league and ranks seventh nationally with 2.87 blocks per set. The Vikings are also second in the league in digs per set, right behind the Norse at 19.44 digs per set.
  
The Vikings hold a 10-4 advantage over NKU in the all-time series, with two of NKU's wins coming in the past four years that NKU joined the Horizon League. NKU snapped an eight-match losing skid to the Vikings on Nov. 10 to end the regular season.
 
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Phoenix claimed their first-ever Horizon League title with a 13-3 record, dropping matches to only NKU, Cleveland State and Oakland. Green Bay took home a wealth of honors in the postseason, highlighted by the 2018 Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, Taylor Wolf, who led the league with 4.36 kills per set and was second among league players with .39 aces per set. The Phoenix also boast the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in Vanessa Buman, who paced league standings with 5.82 digs per set, while Maddie Yoss' league-leading 11.16 assists per set earned her the honor of Setter of the Year. First-year head coach Abbey Sutherland was named the 2018 Horizon League Coach of the Year.
  
Though Green Bay does not rank as the top team in any Horizon League statistical standing, the Phoenix are in the top-three in every category.  The Phoenix rank second in service aces (1.30) and blocks per set (2.43), and are third in kills per set (14.00), hitting percentage (.210), assists per set (13.02) and digs per set (19.38).
  
In the all-time series, NKU holds a 7-5 advantage over Green Bay. The two teams split the regular-season meetings, with each team taking a 3-1 win on its home court. The Norse defeated the Phoenix in this year's league opener, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16.
 
SCOUTING UIC: The Flames finished the league slate with a 10-6 mark, earning the No. 4 seed in the tournament. UIC's offense is paced by the 2018 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Kiera James, who ranked second in the league with 4.08 kills per set. Paola Santiago joined James on the All-Horizon League First Team as well as the all-freshman team, ranking fifth in the league with 3.22 kills per set.
  
The Flames lead the Horizon League with 14.35 kills per set and rank second with a .214 hitting percentage and UIC is also a staunch blocking team with 2.38 rejections a set. NKU leads the all-time series, 9-2, with one of the losses coming from a five-set heartbreaker on Oct. 7. The Norse avenged the loss by sweeping the Flames on their home court on Nov. 2.
 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: After a rocky start to the season, the Panthers righted the ship in league play and finished with a 7-9 record to earn the No. 5 seed. The Panthers are led by Carmen Heilemann, who ranked ninth in the league with 2.98 kills per set and was Milwaukee's lone postseason honoree with first-team accolades. Middle blocker Shanon Volpis has also been a key contributor for the team, leading the league with a .339 hitting percentage.
  
As a team, Milwaukee ranks in the middle portion of the standings, but is the lowest-ranked blocking team with 1.81 blocks per set. The Panthers enter the tournament riding a four-matching losing streak, but went five sets at Green Bay in their season finale.
  
Milwaukee holds the edge over the Norse in the all-time series, 5-3, and split the regular season with the Norse. NKU swept the Panthers in Regents Hall but fell in five on their trip to Milwaukee.