HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball welcomes Horizon League foe Oakland to Regents Hall for a midweek contest on Wednesday, Oct. 9. First serve against the Golden Grizzlies is set for 6 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
LAST TIME OUT: NKU split last weekend, dropping a five-set battle at Wright State before coming home to sweep IUPUI. In the match against the Raiders, both
Laura Crawford and
Ashton Terrill had career matches, with 21 kills and 34 digs, respectively. The Norse balanced out the offense against the Jaguars as five different attackers had eight or more kills in the sweep.
UPWARD TREND: The first rating percentage index (RPI) of 2019 was released on Monday afternoon, and the Norse jumped nearly 100 spots from their final RPI of 2018, moving from No. 137 to No. 44. NKU's RPI is not only the highest in the Horizon League, but it marks the highest RPI in program history. The entire league has shown marked improvement as well, with four teams in the top-100 of the latest RPI. According to RickKern.com's Pablo rankings, the Horizon League is No. 9 out of 32 Division I conferences.
NORSE VS. THE NATION: NKU ranks among the nation's top-50 in several statistical categories through five weeks of competition. 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. The Norse have improved that number significantly since entering Horizon League play as the team is hitting .276 through four matches and also paces the league in kills (14.7) and assists per set (13.60).
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 1,293 digs and is 18 away from tying
Haley Libs (2015-18) for seventh.
Senior setter
Shelby 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 2,470 career assists, good for 10th all-time, along with 959 digs. With 41 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 OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies sit at 8-8 overall and 1-3 in the Horizon League. Oakland has struggled away from home this season and is still searching for its first road win of the year. In the opening weekend of league play, Oakland was swept by both Wright State and IUPUI on the road, but returned to Michigan last weekend and had a competitive five-set loss to reigning champion Green Bay before sweeping UIC. Oakland's offense is spread primarily between three attackers as Taylor Dellinger, Jamie Walling and Brittany Welch receive the bulk of the team's sets. Dellinger has been leading the team with 3.54 kills per set, with Walling close behind at 3.20 kps and a .301 hitting percentage. Welch rounds out the trio with 2.25 kills per set. The Golden Grizzlies run a 6-2 offense behind AnnaBelle Tomei and Madison Ross, with Kenzie Dunn also appearing in the mix in limited action. In the back row, Lindsay Wightman paces the squad with 4.56 digs per set.
Oakland holds an 11-3 record in the all-time series, but the Norse have won the past two contests against the Golden Grizzlies. In their last meeting on Nov. 10, 2018, NKU dropped the first set before steadily improving with the ensuing three set wins, 25-23, 25-16, 25-9.
