WASHINGTON, D.C. – Northern Kentucky volleyball finished runner-up in its second tournament of the year after defeating Georgetown in four sets (24-26, 25-16, 25-14, 25-22) before suffering a three-set setback to Marshall (25-14, 25-17, 25-18). NKU moves to 4-2 on the season.
Match 1 Recap: NKU 3, Georgetown 1
First Set Summary
- Early errors by NKU gave Georgetown a 6-2 lead, but the Norse managed to tie the set up by the 7-7 mark. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the frame, and Georgetown took its largest lead after another string of NKU miscues for a 22-17 edge.
- The Norse tied it back up at 23-23 thanks to back-to-back hitting errors by Georgetown's outside hitter. NKU seemed to hold off two set points, but a kill from Anna Brinkmann that would have tied the set up at 25-25 was challenged by Georgetown and overturned, giving the Hoyas the first set.
- Brinkmann, Laura Crawford and Natalie Hardig each contributed four kills. Neither team hit for a high percentage, as the Norse hit .085 and the Hoyas hit .130 in the frame.
- NKU's defense produced 29 digs, led by Brinkmann with seven. Ashton Terrill added six, while Crawford and Shelby Olsen each chipped in five.
Second Set Summary
- Northern Kentucky started the set off with a 6-0 run as Georgetown was unable to record a kill and committed five errors, hitting -.556 in the opening six points. The Norse held the advantage for the remainder of the set.
- Georgetown made a run towards the end of the frame, coming within four points at 20-16. Abby Kanakry answered back with back-to-back kills, and Brinkmann closed out the frame with three strong serves that led to a Georgetown error, an overpass kill from Crawford and a game-winning ace.
- Crawford led the offense with four more kills, while Bailey Western added three.
Third Set Summary
- The third set was evenly matched until the 10-10 mark, when the Norse started to pull away thanks to back-to-back aces from Brinkmann and kills from Kanakry and Western. After pulling ahead, 17-11, the Norse did not let the Hoyas back within more than six points for the remainder of the frame.
- Hardig had five kills on seven swings to pace the Norse offense. In the back row, Terrill picked up seven digs while Miranda Wucherer added five.
- Georgetown suffered from hitting woes in the frame, hitting .000 with seven kills and as many errors. Meanwhile, the Norse connected at a .278 clip with twice as many kills and nearly half the errors as the Hoyas.
Fourth Set Summary
- NKU held slight leads for the first half of the set, but Georgetown used a six-point run, five of which were courtesy of kills by Elissa Barbosa, to take a 20-16 lead. The Norse chipped away at the lead, with Brinkmann contributing three kills in a six-point span, as NKU tied it up at 21-21. The Hoyas then committed four straight errors, the last of which was a stuff block from Kanakry and Western
- Brinkmann had an impactful final set with seven kills and five digs, while Kanakry added three kills and two blocks. Terrill held down the back row with eight more digs in the frame.
- The Hoyas had their most productive set, terminating 15 balls at a .233 hitting percentage, but the Norse also saved their best set for last with 17 kills and a .311 clip.
Norse Notes
- NKU held its second opponent under .100 this season, as Georgetown connected at a .090 clip. The Norse previously held Purdue Fort Wayne to .075 on Aug. 31.
- Four Norse recorded double-doubles in the victory. Brinkmann had 14 kills and 15 digs for her first double-double of the season and sixth of her career, along with three aces. Crawford added 12 kills and 15 digs for her third double-double this year, and 18th of her career.
- Olsen and Wucherer had their second double-doubles of the season. Olsen had 24 assists and 11 digs in her 38th career double-double while Wucherer added 21 assists and 15 digs in the 18th double-double of her career.
- Hardig also reached double-digit kills, hitting .429 with 11 terminations to go with six blocks.
- Kanakry was just off double figures with nine kills at a .300 clip, and had four blocks.
- Western added seven kills and six rejections.
- Terrill posted a season-high 22 digs and dished out six assists.
Match 2 Recap: Marshall 3, NKU 0
First Set Summary
- NKU struggled in the opening frame as Marshall went on a 10-0 run to extend out to a 16-5 lead. Brinkmann ended the run with back-to-back kills. The Norse were unable to close the gap as the Thundering Herd went on to a 25-14 first-set win.
- The Norse hit .065 in the frame with three kills from Brinkmann, Kanakry and Western. Kanakry was a perfect 3-for-3 while Western hit .600 in the set.
Second Set Summary
- The Marshall block proved to be a nuisance, as the Thundering Herd rejected five Norse attacks and held NKU to a .161 hitting percentage while Marshall connected at a .357 clip.
- Brinkmann added four kills to lead the Norse in the set, while Kanakry went 2-for-3.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse hit .044 in the set, committing 11 hitting errors in the final frame.
- NKU got within two points from three-straight kills by Brinkmann at the 20-18 mark, but a Marshall timeout allowed the Thundering Herd to regroup and rattle off the next five points to end the match.
Norse Notes
- Brinkmann finished with 13 kills and eight digs.
- Kanakry added seven kills on 11 swings, connecting at a .455 clip for the match. She also added a pair of blocks.
- Western notched six kills and added a pair of blocks.
- Wucherer dished out 18 assists, while Olsen added 12 helpers and two aces.
- Terrill recorded a match-high 14 digs.
- Brinkmann and Kanakry were named to the all-tournament team. Brinkmann averaged a team-high 3.70 kills per set over the weekend, along with 3.00 digs per set. Kanakary hit .302 with 2.00 kills per set and also added 0.90 blocks per set.
Up Next
- NKU will open up its home slate next weekend as the Norse will host a talented tournament field on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 13-14. The Norse first face Ball State on Friday at 6 p.m. On Saturday, NKU takes on Notre Dame at noon before a 7:30 p.m. marquee match against cross-river foe Cincinnati.
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