HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball is back in action following a short turnaround and will travel to Milwaukee for a Friday night match with the Panthers. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on Oct. 11 and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: Despite a career match from senior outside hitter
Laura Crawford with 21 kills and 27 digs, the Norse fell in five sets to Oakland on Wednesday night. The Golden Grizzlies used a strong advantage at the net, along with high terminations from its outside tandem, to upend the Norse. Along with Crawford, three other Norse posted double-doubles as
Anna Brinkmann added 16 kills and 23 digs,
Miranda Wucherer had 32 assists and 17 digs and
Shelby Olsen chipped in 26 assists and 15 digs.
Ashton Terrill also had 26 digs in the contest, marking the first time since Oct. 22, 2017, that NKU has had three players with 20+ digs in a single match.
NORSE VS. THE NATION: NKU ranks among the nation's top-50 in several statistical categories. NKU's best statistics come from its defensive prowess, as the Norse rank 30th in the nation with 16.69 digs per set, 35th with a .165 opponent hitting percentage and 47th with 2.47 blocks per set. This season, the Norse have held five opponents to under a .100 hitting percentage, including the most recent match against IUPUI in which the Jaguars connected at a .053 clip. The Norse also rank 43rd nationally and first in the Horizon League with 1.63 aces per set.
NKU's lowest-ranked statistic, though not low at all, is a .225 hitting percentage to rank just outside the nation's top-100 at No. 101. These numbers are based on the national statistics released at the beginning of the week, and may have changed following midweek matches.
MILESTONE TRACKER: In the final tournament of the nonconference slate, junior libero Terrill broke into the all-time top-10 list for career digs, surpassing Amber Timmons' mark of 1,205 set between the 2001-04 seasons. Terrill currently has 1,319 digs and is 13 digs away from tying Peggy Ziegler (1990-93) for sixth.
Senior setter Olsen is also on pace to become just the third setter in NKU history to record at least 2,000 assists and 1,000 digs. Olsen currently has 2,496 career assists, good for 10th all-time, along with 974 digs. With 26 more digs, she would join Molly Donovan (1995-98; 4,971 assists/1,005 digs) and Taylor Snyder (2013-16; 4,535 assists/1,116 digs) in the exclusive club.
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: The Panthers are one of two undefeated teams in Horizon League play, and are just one match off an unblemished overall season with a 17-1 mark, the lone loss being a 3-2 setback to Eastern Washington on Sept. 6. Since then, Milwaukee has been on a 14-match winning streak to enter the weekend. The Panthers are one of the best teams in the nation in terminating balls, ranking ninth nationally with 14.47 kills per set. Middle blocker Ari Miller has been enjoying a successful rookie season thus far, pacing the squad with 3.05 kills per set at a .334 clip. Four other Panthers also average more than two kills per set - Carmen Heilemann (2.85), Kleja Cerniauskaite (2.61), Shari Volpis (2.61) and Louise Kiekhofer (2.35). Milwaukee runs a 6-2 offense behind Jenn Dore and Rylie Vaughn, and Jess Grabowski continues to be one of the top defensive players in the league with 5.05 digs per set.
The all-time series with Milwaukee began in 2015, when Northern Kentucky joined the Horizon League. The Panthers hold a 5-3 advantage in the series, and most recently defeated the Norse in five sets on Oct. 19, 2018.
