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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - How big was Friday night’s four-game win over Southern Illinois at Edwardsville for the Northern Kentucky University volleyball program? Consider that: •SIUE had won 37 consecutive regular-season matches in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and was ranked No. 12 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. •NKU had not beaten SIUE since Sept. 28, 2002, when the Norse pulled out a five-game victory at Edwardsville, Ill. •NKU was looking for its fourth win of the season over a nationally ranked team. Liz Holmes and Kristina Eisenmenger dominated much of the match with their attacking and helped No. 24 NKU post a 30-18, 20-30, 30-25, 30-21 win in Regents Hall. Holmes finished with 23 kills and hit .450, while Eisenmenger collected 15 kills and attacked at a .448 clip. Natalie Forbes ran the Norse offense and finished with 56 assists, seven kills and a .667 hitting percentage. Forbes, a junior setter from Highlands High School, directed the up-tempo offense to a .357 hitting percentage, including a .538 clip in the fourth game. NKU (16-4 overall, 5-2 GLVC) passed the ball effectively most of the evening, and SIUE (14-4, 7-1 GLVC) had no answer for Holmes or Eisenmenger at the net. The Norse also served up 12 aces, with Tristen Dye and Chelsea Clark each finishing with three aces. Holmes led NKU with 18 digs, and Dye added 13. The Norse limited SIUE to a .245 hitting percentage, and much of that damage was done by setter Mallory Clements, who had 12 kills and attacked at a .417 clip. NKU started off impressively and rolled to a 30-18 win in the opening game. The Norse attacked at a .536 clip behind the play of Holmes (six kills) and Eisenmenger (four kills). After SIUE evened the match at 1-all with a 30-20 victory in the second set, the Cougars forged a 23-22 lead in the third game. NKU, however, responded with a 5-0 run to take a 27-23 advantage and pulled out a 30-25 win. NKU will meet Southern Indiana Saturday at 3 p.m. in Regents Hall. That match will also be televised live on ICN Channel 18. |
