HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball dropped a four-set decision to Wright State on Friday evening, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17. With the loss, the Norse dip to 10-11 on the season and 3-6 in Horizon League play while the Raiders advance to 17-4 (6-3 Horizon).
First Set Summary
- NKU held as much as a seven-point lead in the first set, but the Raiders used four substantial runs to knot the contest at 20-20 before taking the lead and winning the frame by two points.
- The Norse struggled to terminate, with just 10 kills compared to Wright State's 18. Peytton Bagwell and Laura Crawford each had three terminations in the set, while Ashton Terrill led the defense with six digs.
Second Set Summary
- NKU kept the Raiders to a .025 hitting percentage, aided by six blocks, in the second set. The Norse pulled away at the 6-6 mark and used a five-point run, three of which came from Anna Brinkmann, to take a 17-11 lead. The Raiders were unable to make up the points as the Norse equalized the match.
- Bagwell contributed to four of NKU's six rejections, while Brinkmann had four of NKU's eight kills in the set.
Third Set Summary
- Wright State used a 5-2 run to establish its lead. Though the Norse tied it up at 8-8, Wright State rattled off a four-point run to take the lead back for good.
- NKU showed a more balanced offense with 15 kills as Crawford put away five winners and five Norse contributed a pair of kills each. Terrill, Brinkmann and Shelby Olsen combined for 13 of the team's 17 digs.
Fourth Set Summary
- Similar to the previous set, Wright State went out to an early lead, 7-2, but the Norse tied it up at 9-9 thanks to a six-point string of points. However, the Raiders answered back with a four-point run and were able to maintain the lead from there.
- Most of NKU's kills came from its outsides, with Crawford and Brinkmann putting away three each.
Norse Notes
- Brinkmann notched her third-straight double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs.
- Crawford also added 11 kills and added a season-best five blocks.
- Bagwell hit .312 en route to seven kills to go with her seven blocks, tying her career high set last match.
- Olsen recorded a double-double with 19 assists and 16 digs, and Miranda Wucherer also added 18 assists.
- Terrill led the back row with 19 digs, along with two aces.
- NKU hit .103 as a team while the Raiders hit .162. Wright State had the edge on offense and defense, with 58 kills compared to 41 for the Norse and 96 digs to NKU's 70. The Norse posted the advantage in blocking, 14-10, and serving, 5-4.
Up Next
- NKU hits the road for the second match of the weekend, heading to IUPUI on Sunday, Oct. 27. First serve against the Jaguars is set for 4 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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