By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
As the all-time leader in career kills at Northern Kentucky University, Norse head coach Liz Hart can appreciate what she witnessed Saturday night from the University of Cincinnati’s Jordan Thompson.
“She’s a future Olympian,” Hart said after Thompson hammered down 35 kills against NKU. “She’s a special player, and it’s really neat watching her play.”
But while Thompson won the statistical battle, it was Anna Brinkmann’s clutch performance that keyed NKU’s five-set victory (25-19, 22-25, 29-27, 23-25, 15-9) over Cincinnati before a raucous crowd in Regents Hall. Brinkmann finished with 23 kills and attacked at a .386 clip as the Norse defeated the Bearcats in a match filled with intensity and outstanding play by both teams.
“The energy was so much fun. Having a huge crowd definitely got us going tonight,” said Brinkmann, who earned all-tournament honors. “And just a battle [with] UC, knowing that they’re a great team.”
NKU attacked at a blistering .471 clip in the final set and limited Cincinnati to a .059 hitting percentage. The Norse jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the final frame and closed out the visitors from Clifton with tough defense and crisp offensive execution.
“We keep talking to our team about being gritty and being tough under pressure,” Hart said. “Tonight they did it. In the third set, we were down and Miranda (Wucherer) went on a great serving run and we fought back and won that game.”
Cincinnati (6-3) built a 13-6 lead in the third set behind the powerful attacks of Thompson and Adria Oliver. NKU then countered with a 10-1 run that was capped by a Wucherer service ace, giving the Norse a 16-14 advantage.
“We tried to serve really aggressive, and that really helped us,” Hart said. “I thought we did a great job of going on serving runs and getting them out of system, which made it easier for our defense.”
Thompson, the reigning American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a member of the U.S. National Team, collected six kills in the fourth set as Cincinnati claimed a 25-23 win. One of the most dominant hitters in the nation, the 6-foot-4 Thompson blasted two straight attacks and added a block as the Bearcats gained an early 9-6 lead.
Going into the fifth set, Thompson had already slammed down 32 kills and was hitting .382.
“She’s the best,” Brinkmann said when asked how Thompson compares to other players she’s competed against. “She’s an All-American and an awesome player.”
While Thompson displayed the skills and powerful hitting that has earned her national recognition, Hart was also impressed by Brinkmann’s performance.
“Brinkmann is a really special kid,” Hart said. “She’s mentally very tough. She’s strong and very stable on the court. Very reliable, and she did her job tonight.
“We got her some matchups and left her out, and she did a good job of terminating the ball.”
Reilly Briggs added 11 kills and attacked at a .409 clip for NKU, which hit .270 as a team. Briggs also contributed to the defense at the net with six block assists. Abby Kanakry finished with 11 kills and hit .368, while Laura Crawford collected 12 kills.
“I thought our passing was great this weekend,” Hart said. “It was nice we could help (the passers) out because they’ve been doing a great job, and that helps us side-out more efficiently. I thought we hit for a high percentage tonight because of that.”
Terrill finished with 19 digs, while Olsen scooped up 15 balls and dished out 25 assists. Wucherer served up five aces and distributed 32 assists for the Norse. Western added eight blocks and seven kills.
Earlier in the day, NKU dropped a four-set decision to Notre Dame. The Norse won the opening set by a 25-19 score, but the Fighting Irish responded by taking the next three frames, 25-20, 25-22, 27-25.
Crawford led NKU with 15 kills against Notre Dame. Kanakry attacked at a .381 clip and finished with 10 kills, while Brinkmann added 12 kills and 15 digs.
Cincinnati, which had defeated Notre Dame and Ball State during the NKU Invitational, hit .234 for the match on Saturday night. NKU finished with 16 team blocks, while Cincinnati totaled 8.5 blocks.
NKU hits the road to meet Western Kentucky on Friday at noon at the WKU Invitational in Bowling Green. The Norse conclude the two-day event next Saturday with matches against Samford (11 a.m.) and Tulsa (4 p.m.).
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport