HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky is off to DeKalb, Illinois, for the second tournament weekend of the 2018 season. The Norse open up the Holiday Inn Express Invitational against its second-straight Atlantic Coast Conference opponent when they face Virginia at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 31. The second day of the tournament pits NKU against Nevada at noon and host NIU at 8 p.m. The match against the Huskies will be broadcast through NIUHuskies.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU had a successful opening weekend at the Golden Dome Invitational, picking up a pair of hard-fought victories against Toledo and Weber State before falling to Notre Dame on the home court of the Irish. The Norse defense was in full swing, with NKU recording over 90 digs in each of the matches, including an astounding 99 digs in the three sets against Notre Dame. After the first week of NCAA volleyball, NKU leads the nation with 24.67 digs per set, while Ashton Terrill is No. 4 nationally with 6.92 digs per set. She and Haley Libs were named to the all-tournament team.
 
TERRILL EARNS #HLVB HONOR: Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill made it a daunting task for opponents to score off swings to zone five as she averaged 6.92 digs per set in her first three matches to earn the Nike Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 27. The Sparta, Ohio, native posted back-to-back 30-dig matches, a feat that has been accomplished just one other time in the Division I era. Terrill opened up the weekend with 20 digs against Toledo, but was remarkable against Weber State and Notre Dame with 32 and 31 digs, respectively. It also marked the first time in her career that Terrill reached the 30-dig mark.
 
SCOUTING VIRGINIA: The Cavaliers are still searching for their first win of the season after going 0-3 at the Iowa State Challenge. However, Virginia faced a formidable lineup with all three of their opponents sitting in the top-65 of last season's final RPI. The Cavaliers opened up the season with a 3-1 setback to Ole Miss before a five-set loss to Oregon State, which is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Virginia then took a set off No. 21 Iowa State on the Cyclones' home court. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Billiard paced the team through opening weekend with 4.00 kills per set, while Grace Turner and Jelena Novakovic chipped in over 2.50 kills per set. On the defensive end, Kelsey Miller averaged 4.54 digs per set. Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
SCOUTING NEVADA: Like the Norse, the Wolf Pack went 2-1 in its first weekend of competition. Nevada won against Northern Arizona and Holy Cross before suffering a sweep at the hands of host UC Davis. The Wolf Pack relies heavily on its outside attack, with Jamila Minor and Sam Hayward averaging 4.40 and 3.60 kills per set, respectively. Hayward has been impressive from her pin, connecting at a .342 clip through the first three matches. Nevada is also a high-digging team like the Norse, with three players averaging more than 3.50 digs per set while the team averages 19.20 scoops a frame.
 
SCOUTING NIU: The Huskies have enjoyed their first four matches at home, going 1-3 in that span. NIU fell to DePaul, Xavier and Oklahoma in the NIU Invitational, but recently picked up a sweep over Horizon League foe Milwaukee on Tuesday evening. The Huskies rely heavily on the experience and size of middle blocker Meg Wolowicz, a 6-foot-4 senior who is pacing the team with 3.81 kills per set at a .255 clip. Though not a defensive team from the back row with just 12.56 digs per set, the Huskies rank in the top-80 nationally with 2.44 blocks per set, led by Jasmine Kemp with 1.31 rejections per set.