CHICAGO – Northern Kentucky volleyball dropped a five-set decision (16-25, 25-20, 25-22, 27-29, 15-9) on the road to UIC falling to 10-9 overall and 3-4 in the Horizon League. The Flames advance to 15-6 (4-3 Horizon).
First Set Summary
- Following a back-and-forth start to the set, NKU pulled away thanks to strong serving and a six-point run that featured four Norse kills and a block for a 23-15 advantage. The Norse closed it out on two errors from the Flames.
- Abby Kanakry led NKU's offense with four kills on five swings while Ashton Terrill led the defense with seven digs.
- The Norse had a strong showing from the service line with five aces and no errors. Miranda Wucherer had a pair of aces while Laura Crawford, Terrill and Anna Burke each added one.
Second Set Summary
- The Flames went out to an early lead and were able to maintain their advantage throughout the frame. The Norse made a 6-1 run late in the set, but were unable to catch up as the Flames closed it out with a 4-1 run.
- Anna Brinkmann took the offensive lead with six kills, but the team mustered just five more kills in the set while the Flames terminated 19 attacks at a .366 clip. NKU's serving remained a strength with aces from Brinkmann, Miranda Wucherer and Burke.
Third Set Summary
- NKU started the set out with a 5-0 run, but the Flames quickly caught up and pulled ahead. The teams jockeyed for the lead, but a four-point run put the Flames up for good, 22-21, as UIC ended the set on a 3-1 run.
- NKU balanced its offense well in the set, with Crawford, Kanakry and Natalie Hardig each contributing three kills.
Fourth Set Summary
- After a tightly-contested first half of the fourth set, UIC pulled ahead and held match point at 24-21. However, the Norse staved off four match points and pushed a fifth set, punctuating the set with a stuff block from Hardig and Kanakry.
- Brinkmann put away seven kills in the set, while Kanakry added four.
Fifth Set Summary
- The Flames led from the opening point, stringing together multiple runs while the Norse were able to string together back-to-back points just once.
- UIC sided out at an impressive 89 percent in the deciding set while the Norse struggled to terminate and hit .061 with six kills. Brinkmann was the only Norse with more than one kill, putting away a pair.
Norse Notes
- Brinkmann led NKU with 18 kills, 14 digs and three aces. Kanakry also had double-digit kills with 13 and added five blocks.
- Crawford just missed out on a double-double with nine kills and 17 kills. She also had three aces.
- Shelby Olsen had her fifth-straight double-double with 19 assists and 12 digs. She is now just two digs away from the 1,000th in her career.
- Wucherer also notched a double-double with 24 assists and a career-high-tying 18 digs. She was the third Norse to contribute three aces.
- Terrill had a match-high 24 digs to go with six assists.
- The Norse hit .144 in the match while the Flames hit .208. UIC also had a 107-97 advantage in digs, but the Norse had the edge in blocks (11.0-8.5) and aces (12-1).
Up Next
- The Norse take on reigning Horizon League champion Green Bay tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT/5 ET. The match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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