The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team wraps up the home half of the 2015 schedule this weekend with matches against Horizon League foes Milwaukee and Green Bay.
NKU will take on Milwaukee Friday at 7 p.m. and Green Bay at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Saturday match will be broadcast live on ESPN3, and live stats for both matches will be available at NKUStats.com.
ABOUT MILWAUKEE: The Panthers have struggled since their last meeting with the Norse, winning just one match out of the seven over the span, a five-set victory over Youngstown State. Maggie Dunbar leads the offensive effort for the Panthers with 3.16 kills per set. Setter Kayla Price averages 9.89 assists per set and leads the team with 21 service aces, while Myanna Ruiz is averaging 4.92 digs per set to pace the back row defense.
ABOUT GREEN BAY: The Phoenix are nursing a three-match losing streak, dropping home matches to Oakland, Cleveland State and Youngstown State over the past two weeks. Lydia DeWeese stands as the most efficient attacker in the League with a .369 hitting percentage and the League’s most prolific blocker at 1.11 blocks per set. Jillian Bauer leads the dig patrol, both for the Phoenix and the Horizon League, averaging 5.44 digs per set.
LAST TIME OUT: Haley Libs posted an error-free, 18-kill performance as the Norse cruised to a straight-set victory over Wright State on Tuesday night. Libs set a career high with a .581 hitting percentage on the night to lead the offensive effort, while fellow freshman Kelly Turner added 11 kills. Keyaira Lankheit maintained her bruising blocks pace with four on the day to go with six kills.
SENIOR DAY: Saturday will mark the final regular season home game for two Norse players, Mel Stewart and Jayden Julian. Both players have spent their careers throughout NKU’s Division I transition, ranking among the top players all-time at NKU. Stewart and Julian will be honored at a special pregame ceremony, and fans are encouraged to arrive early.
SNYDER CLIMBS THE RANKS: Closing in on the end of her third season, Taylor Snyder continues to climb the ranks of NKU setters, currently ranking fifth all-time with 3,365 career assists, about 220 short of passing Natalie Forbes (2005-08) for fourth on the list.
NATIONAL NOTICE: Several Norse would be in the mix in the national statistical standings, but are not included due to NKU being in the final year of their reclassification to Division I. Taylor Snyder would stand at No. 61 in assists per set, while Keyaira Lankheit would rank in the top 120 in blocks per set after her dominant performances over the last three matches.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: The Norse have been on a tear, winning three straight and five of their last six to pull firmly into the postseason hunt, currently standing fourth. The top six teams at the end of the regular season will earn berths to the Horizon League Championship, to be played Nov. 20-22 at the site of the No. 1 seed.
UP NEXT: The Norse will play their final three matches on the road to close out the 2015 season, beginning next Saturday at Youngstown State. After a midweek showdown at Cleveland State on Nov. 10, the regular season will conclude on Nov. 14 at Oakland.
Norse men, IUPUI battle to draw in OT
The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team (8-4-4) battled IUPUI (1-8-6) to a 2-2 (2OT) draw on Wednesday at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
The Jaguars struck first in the opening frame when Emmanuel Usen found the net in the 32nd minute with an assist by Jared O’Dell. O’Dell played the ball to Usen to the top of the box, Usen then finished to the bottom right corner to give IUPUI the 1-0 lead.
Seven minutes later, Daniel Lahav got the equalizer for the Norse with help from Calvin Murphy. Murphy played the ball to Lahav off of a free kick with Lahav heading it home to knot the game at 1-1, a score that held as game went into halftime.
In the second half, IUPUI recaptured the lead in the 56th minute on a goal by O’Dell with help from Ben Thornton. Following a cross into the box, Thornton headed it to O’Dell who then finished with another header giving the Jaguars a 2-1 advantage.
The Norse again tied the match in the 87th minute, this time on an unassisted goal by Yaw Addai. Addai collected the ball off of a corner kick then fired a shot that was blocked by IUPUI goalkeeper Josh Gray, Addai then booted in his own rebound for the score to even the game a 2-2.
Moving to the first overtime, each team took only one shot with NKU putting its lone shot on goal. In the second OT, the Jaguars took three shots to the Norse’s two, with IUPUI firing one of those shots on goal.
The Norse return to action on Tuesday in their final non-conference bout of the season as they hit the road to face Evansville with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. For more information on the Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer program, please visit NKUNorse.com.
From NKU Athletics