HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball enters the second half of Horizon League play this weekend, hosting Wright State on Friday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. before heading to IUPUI on Sunday, Oct. 27, for a 4 p.m. match. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse suffered a pair of setbacks at UIC and Green Bay, falling in five sets to the Flames and four to the Phoenix.
Anna Brinkmann led the Norse offense in both matches, with 18 kills and 14 digs versus UIC before 11 kills and 20 digs against Green Bay.
Ashton Terrill also had a strong defensive outing with 24 and 27 digs, respectively. During the second set of the Green Bay match, senior setter
Shelby Olsen recorded her 1,000th career dig, becoming just the third Norse setter to amass at least 2,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career. She joins Molly Donovan (1995-98) and Taylor Snyder (2013-16) in the exclusive club.
UPWARD TREND: NKU had its highest RPI in program history on Oct. 7 and has continued to stay ranked among some of the nation's top teams in the No. 77 spot. The Horizon League has also seen continued success in the rating percentage index as it is one of just seven Division I conferences to have five or more teams in the top 100, with Wright State, Milwaukee, Green Bay and UIC joining the Norse.
NORSE VS. THE NATION: NKU ranks among the nation's top-100 in several statistical categories. NKU's best statistics come from its defensive prowess, as the Norse rank 15th in the nation with 17.69 digs per set, 54th with a .177 opponent hitting percentage and 68th with 2.33 blocks per set. This season, the Norse have held five opponents to under a .100 hitting percentage. The Norse also rank 54th nationally and first in the Horizon League with 1.58 aces per set.
MILESTONE TRACKER: In the final tournament of the nonconference slate, junior libero
Ashton 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 1,392 digs and is 112 digs away from tying Mel Stewart (2012-15) for fifth.
SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE: Though the Raiders held the longest winning streak in the nation with 16 consecutive victories, Wright State has lost three-straight matches after UIC snapped the streak on Oct. 11. Nonetheless, Wright State is the top defensive team in the league, pacing the Horizon League with 2.60 blocks and 20.59 digs per set in league play, holding teams to a .147 hitting percentage. Leading the Horizon League by a considerable margin is sophomore libero Jenna Story, who has 6.21 digs per set in league play and is second in the nation on the entire season with 6.34 dps. The Raiders also have the top blocker in the league, with Nyssa Baker contributing 1.50 blocks per set, while Grace Hauck and Celia Powers also add over a rejection per set in league contests. Wright State features a 5-1 offense run by Lainey Stephenson, who spreads the offense out well as five different Raiders average at least two kills per set.
Northern Kentucky holds a 21-14 advantage in the rivalry, with four of the last six matches going to five sets. Wright State came out on top in the last matchup with a reverse sweep on Oct. 4, 21-25, 20-25, 25-22, 27-25, 15-11.
SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars had a successful start to the league slate with a 2-0 opening weekend, but have since dropped six-straight matches to sit tied for seventh in league standings. IUPUI is second in the league standings in blocks per set (2.39), led by senior middle blocker Haley Hoffman's 1.42 bps. The team's outside tandem of McKayla Wright and Maddie Dean have been leading the squad in league play with 2.50 and 2.23 kills per set, respectively, with Wright also ranking tops in the Horizon League with 0.54 aces per set. The Jaguars have seen success from the service line this season, recording 1.71 aces per set to lead the Horizon League as three Jaguars rank in the top-10.
NKU holds a 6-2 edge in the all-time series and has won the last four meetings with the Jaguars. The Norse most recently swept the Jaguars on Oct. 6, 25-22, 25-17, 25-19.
