YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Coming into Saturday's match against Youngstown State, Northern Kentucky University Norse women's volleyball stood alone at the top of the Horizon League standings at 4-0. The Norse nearly moved to 5-0 in conference play after taking the first two sets against the Penguins, but YSU battled back to win the final three sets. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 2, Youngstown State – 3
LOCATION: Beeghly Center - Youngstown, Ohio
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 8-8 (4-1 HL), YSU: 7-9 (2-3 HL)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Norse out-hit the Penguins, .274-.263, and hit at least .200 as a team in every set. 
– Abby Pickard racked up 65 assists in the match, which marks the second-highest single-match assist total in all of NCAA Division I this season. It also ranks as tied for the highest mark by any freshman this in a single match, square with Liberty's Alison Bierwagen also racking up 65 in a single match this year. Additionally, her 65 assists are the most a single match by any Horizon League player since Green Bay's Emma Johnson had 65 on November 11, 2023, the most by a Northern Kentucky player since Taylor Snider had 68 in on November 18, 2016, and the most by a Horizon League freshman since UIC's Nicole Johnson had 67 on September 13, 2014. 
– Sydney Bray set a new season-high in kills for any Norse, tallying 23 on the day. Bray also had two blocks and five digs. 
– Allison Risley racked up 20 kills on a .327 hitting percentage. She also had 14 digs in the match. 
– Ava Hoying had 18 kills, 11 digs, and three total blocks. 
– Ivey Stocks finished with ten kills and eight block assists. 
– Lucy Cluxton recorded a match-high 27 digs. 

UP NEXT
NKU heads to Milwaukee next weekend, taking on the Panthers on Friday & Saturday. 

FOLLOW NORSE VOLLEYBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I women's volleyball team through @NKUNorseVB on X, @NKUNorseVBall on Instagram, nkunorsevball on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse YouTube channel.