MUNCIE, Ind. – Northern Kentucky and Ball State played a thrilling five-set match on Saturday afternoon with the Cardinals finding a way to pull out the win (25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13) despite a furious Norse rally in the fifth set. The loss dips NKU to 4-5 on the season, while Ball State improves to 10-2.

STATS LEADERS

• Anna Brinkmann had a career day on the pin. The senior outside hitter registered a match- and career-high 25 kills behind an astounding .379 hitting percentage. She added 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season and second-straight against Ball State.
• Reilly Briggs hit .214 and put away 17 kills, second-most in the match.
• Anna Burke picked up a career-high 29 digs.
• Abby Kanakry contributed nine kills and match-high five blocks.
• Katy Yopko handed out 34 assists (6.8 aps) and tallied three aces.

 
FIRST SET SUMMARY   

• The opening set was all about runs. It was a 6-3 spurt by Ball State to open the set, followed by a 4-2 Northern Kentucky response. The Cardinals then ran out to a 13-8 lead only to see the Norse score six-straight and take a one point lead.
• BSU called timeout and rattled off a 4-0 run to regain the lead for good on its way to a 25-19 set win.
• The Norse terminated 12 balls at a .154 clip, while the Cardinals put away 15 kills with a .353 hitting percentage.
• Brinkmann, Joy Banks and Kanakry registered three kills apiece.
• Allie Siefke posted two blocks and Burke picked up five scoops.

 
SECOND SET SUMMARY   

• Ball State scored six of the first seven points to take quick control, but the Norse countered with five-unanswered points and a 7-1 run to jump out in front.
• The teams continued to trade points throughout until BSU grabbed a 17-14 lead and force an NKU timeout.
• Northern Kentucky fought back to tie it at 21.
• After Ball State scored two-straight, Northern Kentucky answered with two-consecutive scores of its own and force a Cardinal timeout.
• Banks put a ball down to make it three points in a row. Then, following a Ball State kill, Yopko delivered a dump and Miranda Wucherer put the set away, 26-24, with a cross court swing.
• Brinkmann registered eight kills to help Northern Kentucky hold a 20-10 lead in terminations in the frame. She hit .533 after taking 15 total swings without committing an error.
• Eight Norse registered a kill during the set, including Briggs (4), Kanakry (2), Yopko (2), Wucherer (1), Banks (1), Hardig (1) and Burke (1).
• Burke added nine digs to help the back row defense.

 
THIRD SET SUMMARY 

• Once again, BSU ran out to a 5-2 and then 9-6 lead, but NKU rattled off a 5-0 run thanks to three attack errors from the Cardinals and kills by Banks and Natalie Hardig. The spurt forced a timeout with NKU leading 11-9.
• With the set tied at 14, NKU went off on another run outscoring BSU 5-1 over the next six points.
• The Cards then responded with two-quick points to cut the Norse lead to two, 19-17, and force and NKU timeout.
• Briggs and Brinkmann countered with back-to-back terminations, only to see Ball State explode on a 7-0 run to pull ahead 24-21 and go on to a 25-22 win.
• Northern Kentucky terminated 13 attacks and had six errors, while Ball State put away 14 kills with seven errors.
• Brinkmann added seven more kills to her total, hitting .600 in the frame.
• Burke contributed seven scoops and Kanakry contributed two of her blocks.

 
FOURTH SET SUMMARY 

• Keeping true to form, the Cardinals jumped out 5-3 only to see Hardig score three times in 6-1 Norse run to pull ahead, 9-6.
• NKU kept the margin through the media timeout, leading 15-12.
• The Norse scored two of the first three points coming out of the break in action to jump ahead 17-13, forcing the Cardinals to call timeout.
• The timeout changed momentum as BSU used a 4-1 run to cut NKU's lead to 18-17.
• Brinkmann and Siefke registered kills and the teams traded service errors for a 3-1 Norse run, but Northern Kentucky called timeout after Ball State pulled within one, 22-21.
• Briggs responded with back-to-back kills and Banks put the set away, 25-21, with a termination of her own.
• Five Norse registered multiple terminations in the set to help NKU hold a 17-11 advantage.
• Briggs led the charge with five, while Brinkmann added four, Hardig three, and banks and Kanakry two each.
• Staying solid in the back row, Burke registered six more digs.

 
FIFTH SET SUMMARY 

• The script flipped a little early in the fifth with NKU jumping out 3-1 only to see BSU race back to a 6-4 lead and force an early Norse timeout.
• The Cardinals eventually pulled ahead 13-8, but the Norse weren't done yet.
• Northern Kentucky used a Ball State attack error, Yopko ace, setting error from the Cardinals and Brinkmann kill to pull within one, 13-12.
• Following a Norse service error, Briggs kept NKU alive with her fourth kills of the set, but BSU scored on the next point to claim a 15-13 decision in the set.
• Both teams had eight kills. Briggs and Brinkmann contributed four and three, respectively, to the Norse cause.

 
MATCH NOTES   

• Northern Kentucky finished with a decisive advantage in kills, 70-58, but had six more attacking errors, 28-22, and six more service errors, 12-6, to negate the advantage.
• Brinkmann's previous career-high kills total was 23 set against Cincinnati in 2019. She has now eclipsed the 20-kill plateau twice this season, after posting 21 against South Dakota, and has registered double-figure kills in eight-consecutive matches.
• Briggs' 17-kill performance marks her third double-digit termination total in the last four matches. She was also one kill off of her career high, which is 18 set in 2019 versus Green Bay.
• Burke's career-high 29 digs marks her fifth 20-dig outing in nine matches so far this year. She is now averaging 4.88 dps.

 
NEXT UP 
Horizon League play begins for Northern Kentucky, with the Norse continuing its 13-match road swing to open the season. NKU heads to rival Wright State for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Dayton.