Oct. 30, 1999

GASTRIGHT STARS FOR NKU IN TWO WINS

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Sophomore outside hitter Bethany Gastright had 37 kills Saturday as the Northern Kentucky University volleyball team defeated both the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 15-3, 15-7, 15-3, and Saginaw Valley State, 15-10, 15-5, 15-6, in Regents Hall.

Gastright, who had 21 kills on 34 attempts with no errors in a win over Lewis on Friday, also had five block assists in the two matches on Saturday. The Holy Cross High School graduate also had a .417 hitting percentage, including a .467 mark in the win against Wisconsin-Parkside.

NKU improved to 25-1 overall, 13-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Senior outside hitter Jenny Jeremiah added 24 kills and 35 digs for NKU, which is ranked No. 4 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll and No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region poll. Junior middle hitter Jessica Buroker had 17 kills in the two matches, and junior setter Bobbi Casey recorded 82 assists and six service aces.

The Norse have now won 48 consecutive matches against GLVC opponents in Regents Hall dating back to Sept. 3, 1995, when Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne defeated NKU in five games.

The victory extended NKU’s overall homecourt winning streak to 29 consecutive matches, which dates back to 1997. The last team to beat NKU in Regents Hall was the University of New Haven, which knocked off the Norse in four games on Nov. 9, 1997.

The Norse, who will travel to play at Southern Indiana and Kentucky Wesleyan next weekend, have now won 18 consecutive matches since suffering their only loss to Grand Valley State on Sept. 10. The longest winning streak in school history is 27 consecutive victories, set in 1995.