HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball tied its longest winning streak in the Division I era with a 25-17, 25-23, 26-24 win over Milwaukee, winning the eighth match in a row. The Norse move to 10-3 overall and begin Horizon League play with a 2-0 mark, while the Panthers fall to 2-13 (1-1 HL).
First Set Summary
- NKU came out strong in the first set, led by five kills apiece from Haley Libs and Laura Crawford as both hit above .550 in the frame.
- The Norse earned 19 of their points by way of kills and hit .333 while the Panthers were held to just 10 terminations.
- Ashton Terrill led NKU's defense with seven digs, while Libs added six.
Second Set Summary
- Milwaukee tied the contest up at 17-17, trading points with the Norse until NKU was able to pull away to a set point off a kill from Libs.
- The Panthers used efficient play from their left pins to challenge the Norse in the second set, but NKU answered with middle blockers Natalie Hardig and Bailey Western, each connecting on four kills on six swings for a .667 clip. Hardig was also a presence at the net with three blocks. Libs chipped in four kills as well and added a pair of blocks.
Third Set Summary
- The Panthers used an ace and a block to pull ahead 17-14 in the third set and built their largest margin at 21-17, forcing NKU to exhaust its final timeout. Anna Brinkmann came up with a pair of key kills to help the Norse get within a point, 23-22, but NKU had to hold off two set points.
- NKU finished the match on a four-point run, earning match point off a vital stuff block from Western and Wucherer before Libs found a seam in the Milwaukee defense to finish it off.
- Libs had five kills and five digs, while Hardig added four kills on five swings. Western led the Norse block with three rejections and also added a pair of aces. Terrill paced the defense with eight digs.
Norse Notes
- NKU terminated 52 balls while holding Milwaukee to just 38 kills in three sets. The Norse hit above .250 in their second-straight match, posting a .293 clip in th victory.
- The Norse tied the longest winning streak in the Division I era, which was from Aug. 24-Sept. 7, 2012, when the Norse won eight-straight matches to open up the season.
- Libs had her fifth-straight double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs, also adding a pair of blocks.
- Hardig had a career-high 12 kills, hitting .625 to go with three blocks.
- Western was just off double digits with nine kills at a .381 hitting percentage, and was NKU's leader from the service line with three aces. She also added three blocks to her stat line.
- Crawford had eight kills and eight digs, and Terrill led all players with 18 digs.
- NKU's offense was run by Shelby Olsen and Wucherer with 26 and 21 assists, respectively.
Up Next
- NKU has a challenging weekend ahead when the team heads to the 2017 Horizon League champion, Cleveland State, on Friday, Sept. 28. First serve against the Vikings is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. The Norse then head to Oakland for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 29.
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