-
1
Northern Ky. NKU 1-3,0-0 Horizon
3
Winner American Americ 3-1,0-0 Patriot
Northern Ky. NKU
1-3,0-0 Horizon
1
Final
3
American Americ
3-1,0-0 Patriot
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Northern Ky. NKU 21 21 25 19 (1)
American Americ 25 25 23 25 (3)
1
Northern Ky. NKU 1-4,0-0 Horizon
3
Winner Arkansas St. ASU 2-3,0-0 Sun Belt
Northern Ky. NKU
1-4,0-0 Horizon
1
Final
3
Arkansas St. ASU
2-3,0-0 Sun Belt
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Northern Ky. NKU 25 20 25 20 (1)
Arkansas St. ASU 22 25 27 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Norse drop pair of matches to open Best Western Invitational

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Northern Kentucky University Norse volleyball continued its 2026 campaign on Friday by opening play in the Best Western Invitational, hosted by Bowling Green. 

The Norse opened the day at 10 AM against American. The 2025 Patriot League champs bested NKU in four sets, as NKU really struggled offensively, hitting .053 as a team. Northern Kentucky dropped the first two sets after hitting sub-.000 in both, but bounced back in the third with a 25-23 victory. Despite recording their best hitting percentage in set four, an early American lead saw the Norse never take a lead after earning the first point of the final set.

In the second match, NKU took on Arkansas State. The Norse started hot with a 25-22 victory in the first set, but the reigning 2025 Sun Belt Tournament Champions won the next three to take the match in four. The Red Wolves out-hit the Norse in each of the final three sets and outdid the Norse in every statistical category except for aces. 

THE BASICS - MATCH ONE
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, American – 3
LOCATION: Stroh Center – Bowling Green, Ohio (Best Western Invitational)
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 1-3 (0-0 HL), American: 3-1 (0-0 PL)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– NKU hit just .053 to American's .159. The Norse had 25 attack errors through the first three sets. After not recording an ace in their previous match vs. Ohio State, NKU's serving returned to form with ten service aces in the match. 
– Ava Hoying led the Norse in points with 12.5, recording nine kills with three service aces, eight digs, and a block assist. 
– Ivey Stocks had nine kills with a solo block. 
– Abby Pickard posted 28 assists, an ace, three kills, and nine digs. 
– Luci Heid had five kills, an ace, two solo blocks, and four digs. 
– Ashley Sess went for five kills on eight attempts, recording a block and two digs in two sets. 
– Sydney Bray and Daisy Cluxton each had ten digs in the match. 

THE BASICS - MATCH TWO
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, Arkansas State – 3
LOCATION: Stroh Center – Bowling Green, Ohio (Best Western Invitational)
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 1-4 (0-0 HL), Arkansas State: 2-3 (0-0 SBC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Northern Kentucky was out-hit .151-.235 in the match, despite starting with a .333 hitting percentage in set one. 
– The Norse recorded seven service aces in the match to Arkansas State's two. 
– Allison Risley led the Norse with 11 kills, recording a double-double as she also posted 12 digs in the match. 
– Sydney Bray had 15 digs, two aces, six blocks, and six kills. 
– Abby Pickard had team-highs of 33 assists and 16 digs while putting up a 5-0-7 attacking line. 
– Ava Hoying and Ivey Stocks each recorded seven kills. Hoying had an ace and two blocks, while Stocks had three block assists. 
– Daisy Cluxton put up 14 digs, five assists, and an ace. 

NEXT UP
– Northern Kentucky wraps up play in the Best Western Invitational on Saturday, taking on the hosts Bowling Green at 5 PM. 

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.
 
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