HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Strong play all around for the Northern Kentucky Norse volleyball team led to a three-set win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday night at Regents Hall. The win improves NKU's record to 8-6 overall and 4-1 in league play, while PFW drops to 4-16 across all matches and 2-5 against league competition.

STATS LEADERS

• Anna Brinkmann paced the offense with 13 terminations and a .444 hitting percentage. She added nine digs to the Norse cause as well.
• Reilly Briggs and Sequoia Hunt provided a formidable wall on defense as both members of the duo registered six blocks in the three set match. Briggs also hit .318 with nine kills, and Hunt added four kills on eight swings and didn't commit an error.
• Miranda Wucherer notched her fifth double-double of the season and 38^th of her career with 21 assists and match-high 10 digs. She also contributed six kills.
• Abby Kanakry hit .375 with eight kills and added four blocks.
• Joy Banks provided the Norse with six kills as well.
• PFW was led by Katie Crowe's 11 kills, while Ramei Jackson added 10.

FIRST SET SUMMARY   

• Northern Kentucky raced out to a 12-6 advantage, forcing Purdue Fort Wayne to call timeout, and never looked back in a 25-20 decision.
• Brinkmann and Briggs registered six kills apiece and Kanakry added five as NKU posted 20 kills in the set behind .457 hitting.
• PFW was limited to .273 hitting and 13 kills. 

SECOND SET SUMMARY   

• The second stanza was the most competitive with 11 ties and five lead changes, but the Norse still pulled out a 25-20 win.
• NKU continued to hit extremely well, terminating 13 attacks at a .306 clip.
• Briggs and Hunt provided the defense with four and three blocks, respectively, which helped hold the Mastodons to just .140 hitting.
• On the offensive side, Brinkmann put away six more kills.

THIRD SET SUMMARY 

• Once again, NKU jumped up early with a 9-4 lead and went on to win 25-17.
• Seven Norse registered a kill, led by three each from Wucherer and Banks.
• Briggs, Kanakry and Hunt each contributed two kills and two blocks, as the Norse net defense posted another four blocks.
• Northern Kentucky finished the set with 14 kills and just three errors, while Purdue Fort Wayne terminated 13 attempts and had five errors. 

MATCH NOTES   

• NKU closed the match with 47 kills, averaging 15.7 kps.
• The Norse, who entered the night as the Horizon League leader in blocks, outblocked the Mastodons, 10.0-2.0.
• Northern Kentucky was impressive siding out on the evening, respectively posting side out percentages of 80, 80 and 94 while averaging 85 percent across the three sets. 

NEXT UP 
A Saturday afternoon tilt against IUPUI awaits Northern Kentucky. A 4 p.m. start is slated at Regents Hall, and the contest can be seen on ESPN+.