DAYTON, Ohio – Northern Kentucky defeated preseason Horizon League-favorite Wright State, 3-2 (25-18, 28-26, 22-25, 18-25, 15-12), in the conference opener for both teams. With the win, NKU improves to 5-5 on the season and begins league play 1-0. WSU dips to 8-5 overall (0-1 HL).

STATS LEADERS

• Anna Brinkmann racked up a double-double with 18 kills and 20 digs.
• Miranda Wucherer tallied a triple-double, contributing 11 kills, 26 assists and 15 digs. She hit .308 during the match.
• Reilly Briggs hit an incredibly efficient .375 en route to 16 kills.
• Katy Yopko also notched a double-double courtesy of 30 assists and 11 digs.
• Natalie Hardig added six kills, six blocks and two aces.
• Anna Burke and Lillian Leiner both chipped in 17 digs from the back row.

 
FIRST SET SUMMARY   

• The Norse claimed the first set, 25-18, using a 5-0 run on Hardig's serve early in the frame to provide a lead it would never relinquish.
• NKU held a slight advantage in kills, 12-11, and provided stout defense that led to eight WSU hitting errors and just a .068 hitting percentage.
• At the service line, the Norse also delivered three aces, including two from Hardig during her early serving run.
• Brinkmann had four kills in the set, while both Briggs and Wucherer added three.

 
SECOND SET SUMMARY   

• It took extra points, but Northern Kentucky staked a 28-26 win in the stanza.
• With the score all even at 26, Abby Kanakry delivered a kill and then teamed with Joy Banks for a block to secure the set win for the Norse.
• The Norse registered 18 kills to just 14 for the Raiders. NKU also had two fewer hitting errors.
• Five players notched multiple terminations, Brinkmann (5), Briggs (4), Wucherer (3), Kanakry (3) and Banks (2).
• Kanakry had three blocks as well.

 
THIRD SET SUMMARY 

• Wright State used a late rally, scoring five of the final six points, to stake claim to a 25-22 win.
• While both teams had five hitting errors, the Raiders picked up four more kills, 17-13.
• Brinkmann contributed four terminations to lead NKU.

 
FOURTH SET SUMMARY 

• The Raiders jumped up early and ran away with 25-18 win.
• Briggs led NKU's offensive attack with four terminations.
• Banks and Kanakry each contributed solo blocks.

 
FIFTH SET SUMMARY 

• NKU ran out to a 5-0 lead, only to see WSU respond and take an 8-7 advantage.
• The Norse regrouped and pulled ahead by two on two different occasions.
• The Raiders were up to the task once more, tying the frame at 12.
• Briggs delivered the next point with a kill and Wright State committed back-to-back errors to give the Norse a 15-12 win.
• Hitting was at a premium with the Norse attacking at a .074 clip and the Raiders hitting negative-.030 thanks to an NKU block that put up five stuffs in the set.

 
MATCH NOTES   

• Wright State edged the Norse in total kills, 66-63, but Northern Kentucky forced the Raiders into more hitting errors, 31-22.
• Wucherer's triple-double is the eighth of her career and second this year. Entering Saturday's play, only 14 players in the nation had a triple-double and, of those 14, just three had multiple.
• This marks the second double-double of Yopko's career. She posted 28 assists and 10 digs against Cleveland State on Feb. 9, 2021.
• That match against Cleveland State also marks the last time the Norse had three players register double-doubles.
• With the win, the Northern Kentucky moves to 23-17 all-time versus Wright State.
• Briggs has now registered double-digit kills in four of the last five matches. During that span, she is averaging 3.45 kills per set and hitting .296 from her right-side position.

 
NEXT UP 
Northern Kentucky continues its long road trip to start the 2021 season with three more contests away from home next week. The Norse are set to face Milwaukee on Sept. 30, Green Bay on Oct. 1 and UIC on Oct. 3.