VERMILLION, S.D. – Northern Kentucky volleyball came up just short in a hard fought nonconference battle against the Coyotes of South Dakota in the final match of the 2022 Coyote Invitational. Final set scores from this contest were 23-25, 13-25 and 23-25.

THE BASICS
Final Score: South Dakota 3 – Northern Kentucky 0
Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center – Vermillion, South Dakota
Records: South Dakota: 1-1 (0-0 Summit), Northern Kentucky: 0-3 (0-0 Horizon)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Norse came out swinging to open this contest, posting a 4-0 run sparked by an Anna Brinkmann kill and multiple Coyote errors. Tournament host South Dakota then took control midway through set number one, posting a 4-0 scoring run to cling to a 12-8 lead, which forced a NKU timeout. South Dakota maintained their lead at 17-13 with another run, this time at 5-2 which forced the second Northern Kentucky timeout. NKU closed the gap with a pair of kills late from Sequoia Hunt and Abby Kanakry as the Norse trailed 22-20. An Anna Burke service ace tied up the set at 22-22 and then a Kanakry kill put the Norse ahead by one late in the opening set. USD found an answered for NKU capitalizing on the Norse error and then winning the set on a service ace, 25-23. 

Set number two featured the Coyotes riding momentum from the previous set, jumping ahead to a 7-2 lead and forcing the Norse to take a timeout. USD continued to control the pace in set two, extending the lead out to 10-5 and the Norse took their second timeout. South Dakota pushed the lead to double digits at 16-6 midway through the second set, and the Coyotes ultimately took the second game by a final score of 13-25.

Northern Kentucky turned up the intensity in set number three, as kills from Kanakry and Brinkmann saw the Norse tied up with USD at 3-3. The Coyotes generated a 5-1 scoring run to hold down the 8-4 advantage to see NKU use timeout number one in the set. The Norse began mounting their comeback as multiple service aces from Anna Burke swung the momentum in favor of Northern Kentucky to tie up the set at 14-14. The Coyotes then answered with a 4-0 scoring run to force a second Norse timeout at 18-14. NKU caught fire late in this third set, scoring three consecutive points to trail just 24-23, but a Norse service error ended the match in favor of South Dakota. 

NORSE NOTES

• Abby Kanakry led NKU in this contest with nine total kills on 29 swings. Kanakry also posted three blocks in the match as well. 
• Anna Burke helped anchor the defense with 16 digs in this nonconference tilt, and added three service aces to lead the Norse. 
• Sequoia Hunt bolstered the defensive front for Northern Kentucky, totaling four block assists. 
• Torie Houston guided the Norse offensively with 14 assists in the match. 
   

UP NEXT
The Norse are back in action next Thursday, September 1 as Northern Kentucky will face Bowling Green at 7 p.m. (ET) in the Hampton Inn Invitational. The Falcons will be the host for this tournament as DePaul and No. 21 Western Kentucky will also be participating programs.