NKU freshman volleyball standout Kanakry named Horizon League’s Nike Offensive Player of the Week

NKyTribune staff

Northern Kentucky University volleyball standout Abby Kanakry has been named the Horizon League’s Nike Offensive Player of the Week.

Kanakry, a 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman, averaged 3.57 kills per set while terminating more than 50 percent of her attempts. She hammered down 25 kills in two NKU wins and committed just two errors through seven sets, hitting a blistering .489.

Kanakry began the weekend by smashing 10 kills with no errors in 15 attempts during NKU’s sweep of Youngstown State, hitting a career-best .667 in the win. She also led the Norse against Cleveland State on Saturday, putting away 15 kills at a .406 clip. The native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., added 0.57 blocks per set.

“Abby is so talented, and her ability to terminate from the middle part of the court is outstanding,” NKU head coach Liz Hart said after the Norse’s win over Cleveland State. “She’s making really smart decisions, attacking when she needs to attack and tipping when that’s needed. I’m really excited about her decision-making, and she’s hitting for a high percentage.”

NKU improved to 9-5 overall and extended its winning streak to four. The Norse (2-0 in the Horizon League) hit the road for Wright State — which is 13-1 overall with 13 consecutive wins — on Friday for a 6 p.m. showdown against the Raiders.

A year ago, NKU won two of the three meetings with Wright State. Each team prevailed at home during the regular-season matches, and the Norse rallied for a five-set victory over the Raiders in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament at Green Bay, Wis.

(Information compiled from the Horizon League and staff reports)