HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – With the 2021 home docket closed, Northern Kentucky volleyball turns its sites on a 4-match road trip to close out its regular-season. A Nov. 5 tilt at IUPUI awaits the Norse first. Then, NKU makes the trek to Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 6
 
Match Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (12-7 Overall, 8-2 Horizon League)
IUPUI Jaguars (5-21 Overall, 3-12 Horizon League)
Friday, Nov. 5 – 6 p.m.
Indianapolis | The Jungle (1,215)
Broadcast: N/A
Stats: Live Stats
 
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (7-21 Overall, 5-10 Horizon League)
Saturday, Nov. 6 – 4 p.m.
Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center (1,800)
Broadcast: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
 
Quick Hitters
• NKU is riding a three-match winning streak after defeating league-leading Milwaukee, Green Bay and UIC last weekend, dropping just one set across the three matches.
• NKU opens a four-match road trip to close the regular-season with matches at IUPUI and PFW. The Norse are 8-2 all-time versus the Jaguars and have won the last five, while they are 21-23 against the Mastodons but have won 12 of the last 13 contests.
• NKU leads the League in blocks in both all matches (2.55 bps) and league-only matches (3.11 bps).
• On Sept. 30, NKU ranked 179th in the country at 2.00 blocks per set. As of Oct .31, the Norse ranked 29th at 2.56 blocks per set.
• Northern Kentucky's nonconference slate was tough, including two teams currently ranked in the top-10 - No. 7 Ohio State and No. 2 Louisville. Missouri was receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll. Ball State ranks 38th in the RPI. South Dakota and Evansville are also inside the RPI Top100 at 80 and 86, respectively.
• Following its tough schedule to start the season, NKU is now steadily climbing the national rankings in multiple categories, finding itself in the top-100 in blocks per set (28th, 2.56),  total blocks (56th, 205.0), hitting percentage (63rd, .241), kills per set (65th, 13.40), assists per set (78th, 12.18) and digs per set (96th, 15.53).
• Over the last four seasons (2018-21), NKU is a combined 64-35 (.646 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 eclipsed 1,000 career kills last Friday versus Green Bay, becoming NKU's 20th member of the 1,000-kill club.
• Brinkmann is also nearing the 1,000-dig (977) plateau. She would become the 23rd Norse to reach the millennia mark in digs and 11th player to join the 1,000-kill, 1000-dig club.
• S/RS Miranda Wucherer is a versatile asset for the Norse at her setter/rightside hitter position. She's amassed 40 double-doubles and nine triple doubles in her career, which ranks fifth among active Division I players. She already has three triple-doubles this year, which rank fourth-most in the country.
• RS/OH Reilly Briggs was named #HLVB Player of the Week on Oct. 6 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 NKU's three matches last weekend, Briggs averaged 3.70 kills per set and hit .400 from the right-side.
• 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 4.60 this year, which ranks 66th in the country and third in the Horizon League.
• Burke already has nine 20-dig matches on the season, including a career-high 29 at Ball State on Sept. 18 and 22 in NKU's sweep of Milwaukee.
• S Katy Yopko is helping orchestrate the Norse offense, handing out 5.60 assists per set. She is coming off of her third double-double of the year and fourth of her career with 25 assists and 12 digs against UIC.
• MB/OPP Abby Kanakry is averaging 2.08 kills and 0.99 blocks per set, ranking 5th in the league. In league play, she is averaging 1.04 bps (5th in Horizon League).
• DS Lillian Leiner registered a career-high 20 digs versus Evansville and is contributing 2.29 dps. She already has six double-figure dig efforts this year after registering two last season.
• MB Sequoia Hunt leads the league in blocks in all matches (1.18 bps) and league-only matches (1.54 bps).
• MB Natalie Hardig is third for the Norse in blocks at 0.96 bps (6th in the Horizon) and 0.97 in league matches to rank 9th.
• NKU averaged 3.90 blocks per set against MKE, GB and UIC, with Hardig (1.86), Hunt (1.71), MB Allie Siefke (1.50) and Briggs (1.00) each averaging at least 1.00 bps.
• 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 1.81 kps and has three double-digit kill performances this year.
• HC Liz Hart picked up her 200th-career win against Cleveland State.