BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Northern Kentucky volleyball went the distance against its second-straight opponent that is receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, but ultimately fell on the road to Western Kentucky, 22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-27, 15-9. The Norse drop to 5-5 with the setback while the Lady Toppers advance to 11-1.
First Set Summary
- The Norse used a 7-0 run early in the set to take a 10-6 advantage over the Hilltoppers and continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the frame.
- Western Kentucky made a late run, but ultimately could not close the gap.
- NKU's block was a large factor in the set win as the Norse rejected five attacks and kept the Hilltoppers to a .083 hitting percentage.
- Anna Brinkmann and Reilly Briggs both had four kills in the set, with Brinkmann adding six digs and two blocks. Miranda Wucherer and Ashton Terrill added five digs apiece.
Second Set Summary
- Western Kentucky had a hot start to the second frame, staying in system to utilize their leading attacker, Lauren Matthews, out of the middle. Matthews finished with seven kills on eight swings in the set to lead the Lady Toppers to the win.
- The Hilltoppers upped their efficiency, hitting .297 with 16 team kills while the Norse were held to .167 with nine kills.
- Bailey Western paced NKU's offense with three kills.
Third Set Summary
- WKU got out to a 7-3 lead, but the Norse rallied to take the lead at 10-9. However, the Hilltoppers rattled off the next four points to take the lead back and force an NKU timeout. The Norse got within three points at the 17-14 mark, but the Lady Toppers finished the set with an 8-2 run to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
- NKU hit .108 in the set as the Lady Toppers used strong serving to keep the Norse out of system and register three aces. Western added four kills in the set.
Fourth Set Summary
- The score went back and forth as both teams made small runs for much of the set. NKU went up, 24-21, but the Hilltoppers knotted the score with Matthews back in the front row. Abby Kanakry gave NKU set point, and the Norse ended the frame with a pivotal block against Matthews by Western and Laura Crawford.
- NKU's defense, after not registering a block in the third set, came up with five blocks in the fourth. The Lady Toppers were held to a .120 hitting percentage, and Northern Kentucky put away 17 kills in the frame.
Fifth Set Summary
- Western Kentucky started the set with a three-point run, and the Norse answered back with two points but were never able to tie the Lady Toppers at any point during the final set.
- NKU registered just three kills and committed six errors to hit -.158. The Hilltoppers put away seven kills at a .312 clip.
Norse Notes
- Brinkmann recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and a season-high-tying 19 digs. She also added four blocks and a pair of aces.
- Western notched double figures as well with a season-best 13 kills to go with five blocks.
- Shelby Olsen had her fifth double-double of the year, dishing out 21 assists and scooping up 15 digs. Wucherer added 24 assists, eight digs and an ace.
- Kanakry and Crawford each had eight kills for the Norse. Crawford had eight digs and four blocks while Kanakry added a pair of rejections.
- Natalie Hardig led the Norse defense at the net with seven blocks.
- Ashton Terrill picked up 15 digs, and Anna Burke, who donned the libero jersey for the final three sets, had a career-high 11 digs.
- Western Kentucky hit .180 in the match while the Norse were held to a .145 clip.
- NKU had a 12.0-8.0 advantage in blocks, but Western Kentucky had the back row defensive edge with 85 digs compared to NKU's 80.
Up Next
- NKU returns to action tomorrow, starting with a morning match against Samford at 10 a.m. CT/11 ET. The Norse wrap up the tournament against Tulsa at 3 p.m. CT/4 ET.
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