BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Northern Kentucky University Norse Volleyball finished its second weekend of the 2025 season on Friday, taking on Indiana and Southeast Missouri State in a pair of matches hosted by the Hoosiers. The Norse fell to IU in the first match and battled to a fifth set with the Redhawks, but fell just short of a win. 

MATCH ONE - INDIANA
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 0, Indiana – 3
LOCATION: Wilkinson Hall – Bloomington, Ind. 
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 2-3 (0-0 HL), IU: 4-0 (0-0 B1G)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Norse hit a season-high .189 in the match, but Indiana's uber-efficient .396 hitting percentage proved too tough to beat for the Norse.
• NKU started slow with a rough first set, only totaling 14 points and six kills in the opener. 
• The Norse bounced back with a competitive second set, as NKU posted a team attacking line of 13-3-30 (.333 hitting percentage). After falling behind 13-19 in set two, the Norse built a four-nothing run to bring themselves within two. The Hoosiers were able to keep NKU at bay, winning the set 25-20. 
• NKU hung with the Hoosiers for the first half of set three, trailing just 13-14 midway through. Indiana was able to put the Norse away late, winning 11 of the last 14 points to take the match in straight sets. 
• Ava Hoying and Sydney Bray tied for the team lead in kills, as both posted eight. Bray also posted 10 assists and three aces. 
• Lainey Green led NKU in assists with eleven. Lucy Cluxton led the way on defense with three digs. 

MATCH TWO - SEMO
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 2, Southeast Missouri – 3
LOCATION: Wilkinson Hall – Bloomington, Ind. 
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 2-4 (0-0 HL), SEMO: 3-3 (0-0 OVC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Northern Kentucky took the first set, 25-21, as the Norse came out strong with a 16-kill set with a .297 hitting percentage. Both of those marks ended up being game highs for the Norse in any set. 
• SEMO took set two, 25-21. The Redhawks pulled away halfway through, taking a 15-9 lead, and never trailed in the set. 
• NKU bounced back in set three with a 25-20 victory. While the set was close throughout, a late 9-2 run from the Norse to close out the set pushed them ahead of the Redhawks. 
• A 7-0 run from SEMO starting at the 13-13 mark in set four proved too much for the Norse to overcome. The Redhawks took the set 25-21.
• Both sides played an extended set five, and despite NKU holding match point on four occasions, SEMO took the set 19-17, and the match 3-2. 
• Sydney Bray led the Norse in kills with 19. She hit .273 in the match with 13 digs, two aces, and five blocks. 
• Ivey Stocks followed that up with a 14-kill, seven-block performance. Stocks hit .500 in the match. 
• Kendall Hopewell put in another solid performance, finishing with 11 kills, four blocks, and two aces, while hitting .280.
• Abby Pickard led the Norse in assists with 52. She also recorded 11 digs in the match.
• Allison Risley put up a double-double, going for 16 digs and 11 kills. 
• Lucy Cluxton led NKU in digs with 29, also recording five assists. 

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky travels to Eastern Kentucky next weekend, taking on UTRGV, Akron, and EKU in three matches. 

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.