HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University Norse Women's Volleyball opened Horizon League play on Friday night, taking on Cleveland State at home. The Norse came out strong with a big set one victory, and rallied with set three and four victories to take home the win. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 3, Cleveland State –1
LOCATION: Regents Hall – Highland Heights, Ky. 
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 5-7 (1-0 HL), CSU: 2-10 (0-1 HL)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Northern Kentucky came out with a dominant set one, winning 25-9. After falling in set two, 25-17, NKU bounced back with great all-around performances in set three (25-12) and four (25-11).
- Sydney Bray led the way for NKU with a double-double, tallying 16 kills and 15 digs. Bray hit a remarkable .538 on the night. 
- Allison Risley racked up 13 kills on a .281 hitting percentage, serving up four aces and recording seven digs. 
- Abby Pickard tallied 36 assists, leading all players by a wide margin. 
- Ava Hoying (seven kills, six digs) and Ivey Stocks (six kills, two blocks) also put up solid numbers for the Norse. 

UP NEXT
NKU hosts Cleveland State again on Saturday, set for a 2 PM start on ESPN+. 

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.