HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball puts its eight-match winning streak to the test this weekend when the Norse travel to preseason Horizon League favorite Cleveland State on Friday, Sept. 28, before facing Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 29. After the first week of league competition, the Norse and the Vikings are the only two undefeated teams in the Horizon League with a 2-0 mark. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. ET with a live broadcast on ESPN+, while Saturday's contest at Oakland is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse snapped a three-match losing skid to Green Bay in the Horizon League opener, taking the Phoenix down in four sets. Freshman Anna Brinkmann was sensational in the victory, hitting .375 with 20 kills to lead the Norse offense, while Haley Libs, Laura Crawford and Miranda Wucherer all picked up double-doubles and Ashton Terrill recorded 32 digs. NKU then swept Milwaukee led by Libs' fifth-straight double-double of 14 kills and 11 digs, while Natalie Hardig put down 12 kills on 16 swings against the Panthers. The Norse hit above .250 in both matches and kept Green Bay, which led the Horizon League with a .191 hitting percentage entering the weekend, to a .122 clip.
 
TRIPLE THREAT: Senior outside hitter Haley Libs is the only player in the Horizon League to rank  among the league's top-10 players in kills per set (4.14), hitting percentage (.244) and digs per set (3.84). Her hitting percentage is quite the feat, as she is the only non-middle blocker to make the cut. Additionally, NKU is the only team to have two players on the top-10 digs list, which is topped by Ashton Terrill with 5.82 digs per set.
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE: For the fifth-straight week, NKU tops the nation with 20.0 digs per set. Sophomore libero Ashton Terrill ranks seventh nationally and leads the Horizon League with 5.82 digs per set, while senior outside hitter Haley Libs is second on the team with 3.84 digs per set. Back row defense has become a staple of NKU volleyball, with the Norse ranking 16th nationally in the 2017 season.
 
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings hold an 8-6 overall record and had an undefeated opening weekend in Horizon League action, sweeping both Youngstown State and Oakland. CSU had key performances from Trinniti Hall and Rachael Dohar, who are the reigning Nike Horizon League Offense and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. Hall hit .426 with 4.17 kills per set against the Penguins and the Golden Grizzlies, also adding 1.83 blocks per set over the weekend, while Dohar racked up 7.50 digs per set in the victories. Hall is one of three Vikings averaging at least a block a set this season, joined by Rachel Stover with 1.00 bps and Hanna Greene, who ranks 24th nationally with 1.39 blocks per set. As a team, the Vikings top the Horizon League and rank 21st in the nation with 2.71 rejections a frame.
  
While Cleveland State has been aggressive on the defensive side of the net, the Vikings rank in the middle of the Horizon League's pack in terms of offense. The Vikings rank fifth in kills per set (12.18) and hitting percentage (.168), and are eighth in service aces per set (0.96). However, those numbers ballooned against YSU and Oakland with the Vikings hitting .255 with 15.50 kills per set, right behind NKU's .277 hitting percentage and 17.29 kps in the league standings.
  
The Norse are not only looking to extend their winning streak to nine on Friday night, but also to snap a seven-match losing skid to the Vikings. The two teams last met on Nov. 18, 2017 in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship, with Cleveland State claiming a 25-23, 25-15, 19-25, 25-19 win. NKU's last win was on Oct. 13, 2015, when the Norse ground out a five-set win in Regents Hall.
 
SCOUTING OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies were picked to finish second in the Horizon League in the preseason poll, and hold a 5-8 overall record along with a 1-1 mark in league play. Oakland opened up the league slate with a sweep of Youngstown State before falling victim to a sweep at the hands of Cleveland State. Oakland's offensive production ranks in the bottom half of the League standings, with the Golden Grizzlies sitting at ninth with 11.57 kills per set and sixth at a .154 hitting percentage. Oakland is also at the bottom of the league standings in digs, with 15.39 per set.
  
Jamie Walling has been leading Oakland in her sophomore season, with 2.69 kills per set at a .282 clip out of the middle while outside hitter Aleksandra Malek is averaging 2.71 kills per set. Walling and Krysteena Davis both average over a block per set, with Oakland averaging 2.19 blocks a frame as a team.
  
Oakland also holds a staunch advantage in the all-time series against the Norse, 11-1. NKU's only win against the Golden Grizzlies came on Oct. 1, 2016, when the Norse handily swept Oakland at home, 26-16, 26-14, 25-23. The last meeting was on Oct. 27, 2017, with the Golden Grizzlies claiming a four-set win in Regents Hall.