HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball put on an electric display to open up Horizon League play, downing Green Bay in four sets, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-16. The Norse extend their winning streak to seven matches and move to 9-3 overall, while the Phoenix drop to 5-8 overall.
First Set Summary
- Green Bay started the match on a 5-1 run, but the Norse quickly took control of the opening set with a 19-5 string of points. The Phoenix pushed back and were able to make it to 18 points in the frame, but NKU had built up too much of a lead to overcome.
- The Norse hit .273 while holding the Phoenix to .054. Haley Libs, Bailey Western and Anna Brinkmann all registered four kills in the set, with Libs and Ashton Terrill leading the defense with seven digs apiece.
Second Set Summary
- NKU took its momentum from the first set into the start of the second, but a five-point run with three kills coming from Green Bay's Taylor and Jessica Wolf allowed the Phoenix to take an 11-10 lead.
- The Wolf sisters were the heroes of the second set with 13 of the team's 18 kills coming from the duo. Green Bay held off a set point from the Norse at 24-23, taking the set thanks to three-straight kills from T. Wolf.
- The Norse hit their lowest percentage in the second, still respectable at .176. Brinkmann added four more kills while Terrill racked up seven more digs and Miranda Wucherer had six scoops of her own.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse came out swinging in the third, building up a 5-0 cushion that would be extended even further to 16-5 thanks to a strong serving run from Libs and a pair of Brinkmann kills.
- NKU's left pins were a threat in the frame with six kills on nine swings by Brinkmann while Libs added five. Terrill improved her back row play even more with eight digs.
Fourth Set Summary
- NKU hit .375 while holding the Phoenix to a .077 clip in the final set, with Brinkmann adding six more kills while Laura Crawford had four kills on seven swings and four digs. Terrill led the defense with 10 digs, while Crawford and Wucherer added four apiece.
- The Norse used a 4-0 run with kills from Libs, Western and Crawford, along with an assisted block from the latter two, to reach match point, and a Phoenix hitting error gave the Norse their first Horizon League win of the season.
Norse Notes
- NKU had a potent offense, hitting .268 with 69 kills. Comparatively, the Phoenix were held to 43 kills and a .122 clip. Coming into the match, Green Bay had the highest hitting percentage in the Horizon League at .191.
- The Norse last had a seven-match winning streak from Oct. 1-23, 2016. The longest winning streak in the Division I era was from Aug. 24-Sept. 7, 2012, when the Norse won eight-straight matches to open up the season.
- Brinkmann had a career night with 20 kills at a blistering .375 clip.
- Libs, Crawford and Western also reached double-digit kills, with Libs terminating 11 balls and Crawford and Western chipping in 10 kills each. Libs and Crawford both had double-doubles with 13 and 14 digs, respectively. Crawford and Western led the net defense with four blocks each.
- Wucherer had a double-double with 34 assists and 17 digs, also adding eight kills.
- Shelby Olsen added 25 assists and five digs.
- Natalie Hardig hit .500 with seven blocks, also contributing three blocks.
- Terrill had her fifth 30-dig match of the season, with 32. NKU out-dug the Phoenix, 92-79.
Up Next
- The Norse return to Regents Hall tomorrow at 4 p.m. when the team hosts Milwaukee. The Panthers also picked up a win tonight, 3-1 over Wright State.
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