OXFORD, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky volleyball team won a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon and claimed the Miami/Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational title. NKU opened by downing previously unbeaten Evansville in four sets (15-25, 25-16, 27-25, 25-23) during the matinee match and then followed with a sweep of host Miami (25-22, 27-25, 25-15) in the nightcap. Northern Kentucky improves to 4-3 on the year, while Evansville slips to 7-1 and Miami now sits at 2-6.
 
Anna Brinkmann highlighted the all-tournament team as the MVP, while Miranda Wucherer and Reilly Briggs earned spots on the team as well.
 
MATCH 1: NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, EVANSVILLE 1

STATS LEADERS

• Briggs led four Norse in double-digits kills with 15 terminations on just 32 swings. She hit .312 in the match.
• Wucherer and Abby Kanakary added 11 kills. Wucherer registered her first triple-double of the season and seventh of her career by adding 27 assists and 12 digs.
• Kanakry finished the match hitting .429 after committing just two errors on 21 attempts.
• Brinkmann added 10 kills and nine dig.
• Anna Burke and Lillian Leiner controlled the backline with 20 digs apiece.
• Joy Banks narrowly missed double-figure kills with nine and Katy Yopko delivered 26 assists.

 
FIRST SET SUMMARY   

• Evansville claimed a 25-15 decision thanks to an 18-10 advantage in kills.
• Melanie Feliciano and Alondra Vazquez teamed for 15 of the Purple Aces' kills.
• Brinkmann, Briggs, Wucherer and Banks each registered two kills apiece for the Norse.
• Leiner led the back row with six scoops.

 
SECOND SET SUMMARY   

• Northern Kentucky flipped the script in set No. 2, winning 25-16 after terminating 14 attacks compared to just eight for Evansville.
• NKU's block was stout with three total stuffs, including two from Briggs to lead a quintet of Norse to register one in the frame.
• Briggs and Kanakry led the offense with four kills apiece.

 
THIRD SET SUMMARY 

• It took extra points to decide the third, with the Norse coming out on top 27-25.
• While the Purple Aces held a 20-18 advantage in kills, NKU had two fewer errors, 6-4, and a 3-0 margin in aces. Yopko, Burke and Natalie Hardig each delivered an ace for the Norse.
• Northern Kentucky's right-side duo of Wucherer and Briggs contributed four kills apiece.
• However, NKU's attack was balanced with six players registering at least two kills.

 
FOURTH SET SUMMARY 

• Northern Kentucky closed out the match with a 25-23 decision in the fourth.
• Briggs led the Norse attack with five kills as NKU finished with a 19-16 advantage in the frame.
• Burke and Leiner were incredible for Northern Kentucky along the back line. Burke picked up 14 digs in the fourth set alone, while Leiner contributed eight.
• Trailing 19-17, NKU used a pair of Kanakry kills and an assisted block by Kanakry and Wucherer to reclaim the lead.
• Evansville scored the next two points, but Brinkmann answered with two of her own.
• NKU used a pair of Evansville hitting errors, the second of which was a block from Hardig and Wucherer before finishing off the match with a Brinkmann kill.

 
MATCH NOTES   

• NKU's offensive production increased each set, improving from 10 kills in set one to 14 in the second, 18 in the third and 19 in the final frame.
• At the net, Northern Kentucky had a 10-5 advantage in blocks.
• The Norse also notched one more dig than the Purple Aces, 78-77.
• Leiner's 20 digs are a new career-high.
• Burke has now registered 20 digs in three-straight matches and four times in the team's first six matches.

 
MATCH 2: NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, MIAMI (OHIO) 0

STATS LEADERS

• Brinkmann finished with a match-high 16 kills, averaging 5.3 kills per set in the match while hitting a blistering .400. She also added four service aces, eight digs and two blocks to the cause.
• Briggs contributed 12 more terminations and three blocks.
• Following her triple-double, Wucherer posted a 16-assist, 13-dig double-double.
• Burke picked up 14 digs to lead everyone in the category.
• Yopko had 16 assists to pace all setters in the match and Hardig contributed one solo block and four block assists.

 
FIRST SET SUMMARY   

• Trailing 4-3, the Norse rattled off five-straight points thanks to three services aces by Brinkmann.
• Miami tied the set at 15 and 16, but Northern Kentucky regained control on terminations from Banks, Wucherer and Yopko before going on to the 25-22 win.
• Brinkmann finished with five kills and Hardig contributed a pair of blocks in the set.

 
SECOND SET SUMMARY   

• NKU needed to mount a rally, trailing 23-19 late in the stanza.
• Queue Briggs. The junior came up with three-consecutive kills and then teamed with Kanakry on a block to knot the set at 23.
• The Norse needed extra points, but used kills from Banks and Brinkmann to close it out, 27-25
• Brinkmann registered seven terminations and Briggs added six as Northern Kentucky hit .308.

 
THIRD SET SUMMARY 

• The Norse mounted an early attack and claimed a 12-6 lead before running away with the set, 25-15.
• It only took 28 swings for NKU to register 14 kills, as the Norse hit .429.
• Northern Kentucky's net play led to five blocks in the frame as well, holding Miami to an .086 hitting percentage.

 
MATCH NOTES   

• NKU finished the match with a decisive advantage in kills, 46-34, after out-hitting Miami .237-.119.
• The Norse also out-dug the Redhawks, 54-43, and had more blocks, 9-7.

 
NEXT UP 
Northern Kentucky will play another MAC opponent in its next two outings. The Norse are set to play back-to-back matches at Ball State on Sept. 17-18.