Tristen Dye

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Heather Bonde and Kindra Westendorf each collected 15 kills Saturday as Southern Illinois at Edwardsville won its ninth consecutive match with a three-game sweep over Northern Kentucky University.

Tina Talsma added 14 kills as SIUE won by scores of 30-25, 30-24, 30-26. The Cougars attacked at a .360 clip and improved to 18-5 overall, 8-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Tristen Dye led NKU (18-5 overall, 6-3 GLVC) with eight kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Bonde, Westendorf and Talsma, however, each attacked at a .400 clip or better on Saturday, and the Cougars held a 54-45 edge in digs.

Liz Holmes added seven kills for NKU, which saw its winning streak snapped at five. Kristina Eisenmenger and Julie Lewis each had six kills for the Norse, who were limited to a .187 hitting percentage.

Brittany Dixon, Lynne Fischesser and Maria Tieman all collected 10 digs to pace NKU, which was coming off a five-game victory at Southern Indiana on Friday. SIUE finished with a 61-33 advantage in kills.

NKU is ranked ninth in the latest NCAA II Great Lakes Region poll. The top eight teams in that poll will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament in November.

The winner of the GLVC Tournament, which will be played on the campus of the No. 1 seed Nov. 10-12, receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Rockhurst currently leads the GLVC with a 10-1 record.

NKU will play a GLVC match at Kentucky Wesleyan at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and the Norse will meet Missouri-St. Louis at 7 p.m. Friday in Regents Hall.

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