Liz Holmes hammers down a kill

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Liz Holmes and Tristen Dye combined for 24 kills Friday night as Northern Kentucky University reached the 20-win plateau for the 13th consecutive season with a three-game sweep over Missouri-St. Louis in Regents Hall.

Holmes slammed down 11 kills and hit .647 for NKU, which won by scores of 30-18, 30-18, 30-13. The Norse improved to 20-5 overall, 8-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU has won at least 20 matches each season since 1993.

Dye recorded 13 kills and a .318 hitting percentage as NKU remained perfect (17-0) in the all-time series against Missouri-St. Louis. The Riverwomen dropped to 5-18 overall, 5-7 in the GLVC.

Holmes and Dye each had five kills in the opening game as NKU attacked at a .306 clip and held Missouri-St. Louis to a -.026 hitting percentage. The Norse also collected nine block assists from Lynne Fischesser and Kristina Eisenmenger in the first game.

Fischesser finished with eight blocks and nine digs, while Eisenmenger added seven blocks, seven kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Fischesser also added two service aces and had two kills.

Andrea Lanham picked up 41 assists, eight digs and two service aces for NKU. Lanham, a junior setter and a graduate of Notre Dame Academy, now has 3,127 career assists.

Tristen Dye had 13 kills Friday

Julie Lewis added eight kills and a .357 hitting percentage as the Norse attacked at a .337 clip as a team. NKU also held Missouri-St. Louis to a -.038 hitting percentage and finished with a 51-23 advantage in digs.

NKU is tied for eighth place in the latest NCAA II Great Lakes Region poll. Southern Indiana and Northern Michigan are tied with NKU for the eighth spot in the poll.

The top eight teams in that poll will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament in November. Grand Valley State is currently No. 1 in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region, followed by No. 2 Rockhurst and No. 3 Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

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 12-1 record after defeating Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday night.

SIUE is in second place in the GLVC standings with an 8-2 record, followed by NKU with an 8-3 mark.

NKU will meet Quincy at 1 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. The match with Quincy will be televised live on ICN-18.

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