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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Now that Northern Kentucky University is again over the .500 mark, courtesy of a four-game triumph over Saint Joseph's on Saturday, a long winning streak would do wonders for the Norse's postseason aspirations. And the upcoming schedule appears to give NKU a chance to string together some victories, with home matches against West Virginia State and Kentucky Wesleyan on the horizon, followed by road contests against Quincy and Missouri-St. Louis. Less than 24 hours after being swept in Regents Hall by Indianapolis, NKU bounced back against Saint Joseph's for a 30-26, 30-27, 28-30, 30-20 victory. The Norse (9-8 overall, 4-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference) won the first two games against the Pumas despite hitting a combined .215, and, after dropping the third stanza by two points, wrapped up the victory by attacking at a .417 clip in the fourth set. Sophomore right-side hitter Kristina Eisenmenger led NKU with 22 kills and a .486 hitting percentage. Liz Holmes and Tristen Dye each added 16 kills for the Norse, who limited Saint Joseph's (1-14 overall, 0-7 GLVC) to a .156 hitting percentage. Dye also led NKU with 15 digs, and she hit .312 for the match. Holmes, who now has 1,046 career kills, added five blocks, two service aces and a .333 hitting percentage. She also hammered down five kills in the fourth game. Natalie Forbes was inserted into the lineup early in the first game, and the sophomore setter finished with a career-high 50 assists. Forbes, a graduate of Highlands High School, also had four kills and eight digs. Freshman Megan Dooley continued her strong serving by collecting five aces. The St. Henry High School graduate also finished with 10 digs. Freshman Andrea Price added three service aces and 11 digs for NKU, which won the digging battle by a 62-41 margin. NKU now leads the all-time series with Saint Joseph's, 31-5. Earlier this season at Rensselaer, Ind., the Norse defeated the Pumas in four games. NKU will be back in action Monday at 7 p.m. when West Virginia State visits Regents Hall. The next night at 7 p.m., Kentucky Wesleyan will be in Regents Hall for a 7 p.m. match. NKU, which has lost to five nationally ranked teams this season, hits the road next weekend for GLVC matches at Quincy (Friday) and Missouri-St. Louis (Saturday). The Norse then return home Oct. 6 for a GLVC showdown with league-leading Southern Illinois at Edwardsville. |
