HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball rides a six-match winning streak heading into the first week of Horizon League play, hosting Green Bay and Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 21-22. The Norse take on the Phoenix at 6 p.m. on Friday before facing the Panthers at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Rich Hidy on the call on Friday while Mike Schmaltz will take over on Saturday. ESPN+ can be accessed through the ESPN app, which is available on a range of devices including smart phones, game consoles and streaming devices. The service costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 for an annual subscription.
 
PROMOTION INFO: Friday will serve as NKU's Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night. Fans are encouraged to wear gold, which is not only the color of the Norse, but also the color to show support for the battle against pediatric cancer. The Norse are also taking part in the Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer fundraiser, organized through Go4theGoal. Donations can be made by visiting donate.go4thegoal.org/team/181456 or with a cash donation by visiting the promotions table on Friday.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU took home another tournament title at the Cougar Classic, sweeping Louisiana Tech and host SIUE before a come-from-behind five-set victory over Oral Roberts. Haley Libs was named the tournament MVP after averaging 3.55 kills per set at a .282 clip to go with 3.73 digs per set. Ashton Terrill was also named to the all-tournament team, leading the team with 5.09 digs per set to go with four service aces and a flawless outing in serve-receive with no errors on 59 attempts. The Norse had a strong match from the service line against Oral Roberts, with 14 aces in the victory to mark the second-most aces in a match since NKU transitioned to Division I.
 
LIBS LIGHTS UP THE LEAGUE: Though Haley Libs has been one of the most consistent performers in the Horizon League during her time as a Norse, she had only picked up one weekly honor from the organization prior to her senior season. This year, she's been the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week for the past two weeks.
  
On Sept. 9, she picked up 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 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.
 
WELCOME TO THE CLUB: With her 14th dig against SIUE, Haley Libs recorded her 1,000th career dig. Not only did she join the ranks of some of NKU's most decorated student-athletes, but Libs became NKU's first player in the Division I era to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. The last players to hit the milestone were none other than head coach Liz Hart (née Holmes), along with Tristen Dye, during their careers in 2004-07. Hart is the all-time kills leader with 1,850 terminations and is No. 11 on the all-time digs list, with 1,191 scoops, while Dye put down 1,395 kills for No. 9 on the all-time list and picked up 1,035 digs for No. 17 in NKU laurels.
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: For the fourth week, NKU tops the nation with 19.93 digs per set. Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill ranks 14th nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.61 digs per set, while senior outside hitter Haley Libs is second on the team with 3.91 digs per set. Back row defense has become a staple of NKU volleyball, with the Norse ranking 16th nationally in the 2017 season.
 
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Norse look to snap a three-match losing skid against the Phoenix, who enter the weekend with a 5-7 record. The two teams have faced a pair of common opponents in the nonconference schedule, both picking up wins against SIUE while Green Bay dropped a five-set match to Weber State, which NKU defeated in four sets at the Golden Dome Invitational. The Phoenix are coming off a challenging tune-up, having faced No. 7 Minnesota and RV Kansas State. The Phoenix dropped both matches, but did take a set off the Wildcats.
  
The 2017 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Taylor Wolf, leads the Phoenix and the league with 4.64 kills per set, making Friday's matchup a battle between the top-two points scorers in the league with NKU's Haley Libs ranking second at 4.23 kps. Like Libs, Wolf also ranks in the top-10 in hitting percentage at .242, and is contributing 2.55 digs per set. Green Bay also returns Maddie Yoss, who leads the Horizon League with 10.31 assists per set. As a team, the Phoenix top the league in hitting percentage at a .191 clip, just above NKU's .185, and are right below the Norse with 13.00 kills per set. However, the Phoenix' defense ranks in the bottom half of league schools with 16.31 digs per set for sixth in the league and a league-worst 1.52 blocks per set.
  
NKU holds a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Phoenix, but the Norse have gone 4-4 against Green Bay since transitioning to Division I. Green Bay has won the last three matches, with the last Norse win coming on Nov. 4, 2016 in Regents Hall.
 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: The Panthers have posted a 1-12 record in the nonconference portion of their schedule, with the only win coming against Eastern Illinois last Friday. Milwaukee has also faced a common opponent with the Norse as it was swept by NIU, which NKU defeated in five sets, on Aug. 28. Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half of the Horizon League in every category except assists, and is the bottom team with a .144 hitting percentage. Despite a low efficiency for the team, the Panthers do have Jenna Miller connecting at a .303 clip to top the Horizon League, contributing 1.35 kills per set.
  
Milwaukee's offense is spread out evenly between its two setters, Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn, with four Panthers averaging at least 2.00 kills per set. Carmen Heilemann leads the team with 2.82 kills per set, but has only appeared in 11 sets for the Panthers this season. Jess Grabowski leads the team in the back row with 4.90 digs per set, good for third in the league, and is coming off being named the Nike Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week.
  
The Panthers hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, which began when the Norse joined the Horizon League in 2015. However, both of NKU's wins came when the Norse played in Regents Hall. Milwaukee swept the Norse in the last meeting, but each set was won by the minimum two-point margin, 26-24, 25-23, 28-26.