ASHLAND, Ohio - Kristin Koralewski capped off a 21-kill performance Saturday by hammering down two consecutive attacks to win the fourth game as Northern Kentucky University knocked off previously unbeaten Ashland University, 33-31, 24-30, 30-28, 30-28.
NKU trailed 23-19 in the fourth game, but the Norse used a 7-3 run to forge a 26-26 tie. After Ashland regained a 27-26 advantage, NKU’s Liz Holmes converted an attack to tie the game at 27-27.
The teams traded points and were tied at 28-28 when Koralewski finished off the match and Ashland’s unbeaten record (6-1) with two straight kills. The NKU All-American recorded a double-double with 21 kills and 13 digs, and she ended with a .396 hitting percentage.
Holmes, a freshman middle hitter, led NKU with 22 kills and a .425 hitting percentage. She also had seven digs and two blocks.
NKU’s Lynne Fischesser keyed the defensive effort with a career-high 27 digs, and she added 12 kills. Julie Lewis notched a career-best 17 digs for NKU, which held a 78-57 edge in digs.
Norse setter Andrea Lanham collected 56 assists and seven digs. Ashland held a 19-9 advantage in blocks, but 16 service errors proved costly to the Eagles on their home floor.
NKU completed the two-day tournament with a 4-0 record later Saturday with a 27-30, 30-26, 30-24, 30-16 victory over Edinboro (Pa.) University. Koralewski and Holmes combined for 35 kills and 32 digs to lead the Norse.
Koralewski now has 1,088 career kills at NKU, and she is ninth on the Norse’s all-time list in that category. She also needs just 43 digs to become the sixth player in NKU history to record both 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills.
Maggie Pugh recorded 14 kills and a .435 hitting percentage as NKU won its fourth straight match and improved to 7-4. The Norse won the blocking battle by a 21-18 margin.
Lewis collected a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs for the Norse, while Lanham just missed a double-double with 57 assists and nine digs. Amber Timmons finished with 20 digs and two service aces.
NKU will begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play next Saturday at 2 p.m. when Bellarmine University visits Regents Hall for the Norse’s 2004 home opener.
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Kristin Koralewski |