INDIANAPOLIS - What makes Kristin Koralewski a first team All-American and the reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year? Just check out what happened Friday night to answer that question.
Koralewski recorded a career-high 33 kills, hit .475 and added 16 digs as Northern Kentucky University outlasted the University of Indianapolis, 27-30, 32-30, 24-30, 31-29, 15-5, at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. NKU improved to 18-8 overall, 11-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and extended its win streak to eight.
The Norse also handed Indianapolis its first home loss of the season and won at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center for the first time since 2001. NKU completed the season sweep over the defending GLVC Tournament champion Greyhounds, who dropped to 20-11 overall, 10-4 in the GLVC.
But it wasn’t easy.
Indianapolis held a 2-1 lead after pulling out a 30-24 victory in the third game, and the Greyhounds bolted out to a 16-9 advantage in the fourth stanza. NKU, however, rallied behind the play of Koralewski (12 kills, .611 hitting percentage in the fourth game) and tied the score at 26-26 on a kill by Lynne Fischesser.
After the teams traded three points apiece, Koralewski converted an attack to give NKU a 30-29 lead. Liz Holmes then ended the game with a service ace to tie the match at 2-2.
In the fifth game, NKU built a 5-0 lead and coasted. Koralewski slammed down five kills in seven attempts for a .714 hitting percentage in the final game.
Fischesser continued her outstanding play with 20 kills, 12 digs and a .368 hitting percentage. The junior right-side hitter also hammered down two consecutive kills at the end of the second game to give NKU a 32-30 win.
Setter Andrea Lanham directed the offense and finished with 71 assists, 13 digs and seven kills. Holmes added 12 kills and four blocks for NKU, which hit .326 as a team. Tristen Dye finished with 10 kills and eight digs, while Amber Timmons anchored the back row with 21 digs.
Shaun McAllister paced Indianapolis with 31 kills, 14 digs and six blocks. Whitney Boling added 15 kills and nine digs, while Katie Beck finished with 10 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
NKU will play at Saint Joseph’s College at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Norse are in third place in the GLVC standings, one game behind second-place Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
The GLVC Tournament will begin Nov. 11 at the site of the No. 1 seed, and the University of Southern Indiana is the likely host for that event. The Screaming Eagles (18-5 overall, 12-1 GLVC) need two wins to clinch the No. 1 seed.
|
Kristin Koralewski |