HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A pair of home contests against Oakland and Cleveland State awaits the Northern Kentucky volleyball team this weekend. NKU hosts Oakland at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, before welcoming CSU to Regents Hall in a 4 p.m. tilt on Saturday, Oct. 16.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (9-6 Overall, 5-1 Horizon League)
Oakland University Golden Grizzlies (12-7 Overall, 6-2 Horizon League)
Friday, Oct. 15 – 6 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. | Regents Hall (1,346)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Cleveland State University Vikings (6-13 Overall, 4-4 Horizon League)
Saturday, Oct. 16 – 4 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. | Regents Hall (1,346)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
 
Quick Hitters
• NKU won its third and fourth-straight matches with sweeps of Purdue Fort Wayne and IUPUI.
• NKU is in the midst of a stretch where 9-of-10 games will be played at home, and hosts Oakland and Cleveland State in a pair of weekend matches.
• NKU is 4-12 all-time against the Golden Grizzlies, but has won three of the last four, and 9-10 versus the Vikings, but is riding a six-match win streak in the series.
• NKU was chosen third in the #HLVB preseason poll.
• NKU leads the Horizon League in blocks (2.68 bps) in league only matches.
• NKU opened the season with 12-straight road games, going 6-6.
• Northern Kentucky's nonconference slate was tough, including two teams currently ranked in the top-10 - No. 7 Ohio State (L, 0-3) and No. 2 Louisville. Missouri was receiving votes in the preseason poll. South Dakota was in the RPI top-50 in each of the last two years (42 in 2020, 38 in 2019) and both Ohio (W, 3-2) and Ball State (L, 0-3, L, 2-3) perennially finds themselves in the top-50-100 of the RPI. Evansville was 7-0 when they played the Norse.
• Over the last four seasons (2018-21), NKU is a combined 58-34 (.630 winning percentage).
• With last year's #HLVB Tournament semifinal appearance, NKU has now reached at least the semifinals of its conference tournament seven-straight years - every season eligible for conference postseason tournament play (2014-present) since reclassifying to NCAA Division I in 2012.
• OH Anna Brinkmann picked up her second #HLVB Player of the Week honor this year after averaging hit an impressive .345 en route to averaging 4.17 kills per set while adding 3.67 digs and 0.67 blocks per set in wins over PFW and IUPUI.
• Brinkmann leads the Norse at 3.65 kps with nine double-doubles on the season.
• RS/OH Reilly Briggs was named #HLVB Player of the Week after averaging 3.91 kps at a .434 hitting clip in road games at Milwaukee and Green Bay and at home versus Robert Morris.
• In her last 10 matches, Briggs has averaged 3.43 kills per set and hit .343 (127K-37E-272TA) from her right-side position.
• S/RS Miranda Wucherer is a versatile asset for the Norse at her setter/opposite hitter position. She's amassed 38 double-doubles in her career, including eight triple doubles. She already has two triple-doubles this year, which rank fourth-most in the country.
• DS/L Anna Burke is donning the libero jersey for the Norse for the first time this year. She improved from 0.96 dps as a freshman to 1.70 dps her sophomore season and is now averaging 4.67 this year, which ranks 55th in the country and third in the Horizon League.
• Burke already has six 20-dig matches on the season, including a career-high 29 at Ball State on Sept. 18 and 25 versus Robert Morris in NKU's last outing.
• S Katy Yopko is orchestrating the Norse offense, handing out a team-high 5.65 assists per set.
• Yopko posted her second career double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs in NKU's win at Wright State.
• MB/OPP Abby Kanakry is averaging 1.93 kills and 0.91 blocks per set.
• MB Natalie Hardig leads the Norse and ranks 6th in the league in blocks at 0.92 bps.
• DS Lillian Leiner registered a career-high 20 digs versus Evansville and is contributing 2.33 dps. She already has four double-figure dig efforts this year after registering two last season.
• Freshman OH Joy Banks, was an Under Armour High School All-America Honorable Mention honoree after averaging 5.7 kills behind .401 hitting as a senior. She is contributing 1.87 kps and has three double-digit kill performances this year.
• After missing nearly a month of action, freshman MB Sequoia Hunt returned to the lineup last week and immediately made her presence felt in the three matches with 14 total kills (1.56 kps), zero hitting errors, .636 hitting percentage and 14 total blocks (1.56 bps).
• HC Liz Hart sits at 198 career wins. Once the 200-win plateau is achieved, she will join Jane Meier (257, 1978-87), Mary Biermann (286, 1989-2000) and Carlos Chia (224, 2001-10) with 200 career wins as a Norse head coach.