HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team will begin the season this Friday at the University of North Florida Labor Day Classic at Jacksonville, Fla.
NKU will meet the University of North Dakota in the season opener at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The Norse will also square off against the University of Tampa, which is ranked No. 2 nationally in the NCAA Division II preseason poll, at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
NKU will conclude the two-day tournament Saturday with matches against host North Florida and 2001 NCAA Division II national champion Barry (Fla.) University. North Florida is ranked No. 20 nationally in the preseason poll, while Barry is No. 8 nationally.
NKU, which finished 22-10 last season, received 85 points in the national poll. The Norse are the preseason favorite in the Great Lakes Valley Conference poll.
NKU NEARS MILESTONE: The Norse volleyball program enters the season with an overall record of 693-313 in 28 years of competition. NKU needs just seven victories to reach the 700-win plateau.
NKU AGAINST THE UNF CLASSIC FIELD: NKU is 1-4 all-time against Tampa, 2-1 against North Florida and 0-2 against Barry. NKU has never met North Dakota in volleyball.
WELTER CLIMBS NKU KILLS LIST: NKU senior right-side hitter Cammi Welter enters the season No. 9 on the NKU all-time list with 1,032 career kills.
Welter, a graduate of McAuley High School in Cincinnati, recorded 395 kills and 83 total blocks a year ago. Welter also earned first team All-GLVC and All-Great Lakes Region honors last season.
TOUGH 1-2 PUNCH: Returning starters Nicole Salisbury and Kristin Koralewski give NKU the best 1-2 punch in the GLVC at outside hitter. Salisbury had 398 kills and 318 digs in 2002, while Koralewski added 346 kills, 315 digs and a team-leading 46 service aces.
Salisbury earned second team All-GLVC honors last season, and Koralewski was named honorable mention All-Great Lakes Region by the AVCA.
NORSE TRAVEL TO FINDLAY NEXT: NKU will travel to Findlay, Ohio, Sept. 5-6 to meet four teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
NKU plays Northwood (Mich.) University at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 5, followed by a match against the University of Findlay at 7:30 p.m. The next day, the Norse will meet Lake Superior State University (3 p.m.) and Hillsdale (Mich.) College (5:30 p.m.).
NKU will play its home opener Sept. 10, when Bellarmine University visits Regents Hall at 7 p.m. in the GLVC opener.
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Kristin Koralewski |