Liz Holmes (8) hit .619 against Quincy

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Liz Holmes put on a thunderous attacking exhibition Saturday afternoon as Northern Kentucky University rolled past Quincy in a three-game sweep.

Holmes slammed down 15 kills and finished with a .619 hitting percentage as NKU defeated Quincy, 30-18, 30-18, 30-17, in Regents Hall. The sophomore middle hitter converted the 15 kills in 21 attempts with just two errors, and many of her attacks were rocket-like shots that hit the court before Quincy’s defense could react.

Tristen Dye added 13 kills and a .429 hitting percentage as NKU improved to 21-5 overall, 9-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Holmes and Dye combined for 22 kills during the first two games, and NKU coasted past Quincy (4-16 overall, 2-11 GLVC) for the victory.

Andrea Lanham ran the offense and collected 43 assists as the Norse hit .366 as a team. Lanham also moved into fourth place in NKU history with 3,170 assists.

Lanham also added two service aces, three kills and five digs as NKU upped its lead in the all-time series with Quincy to 19-1. The Norse’s only defeat to Quincy came on Sept. 11, 1998, when the Lady Hawks outlasted NKU in five games at Quincy, Ill.

Andrea Lanham runs the offense

NKU served up 11 aces as a team and finished with a 49-27 advantage in digs. Lynne Fischesser led the Norse defensively with 10 digs, while Maria Tieman and Natalie Forbes each added eight digs. Holmes had seven digs and two service aces.

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 and is the likely host for the GLVC Tournament.

SIUE (8-2) is in second place in the GLVC standings, followed by NKU, Indianapolis (8-3) and Southern Indiana (7-4).

NKU will return to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when Bellarmine visits Regents Hall for a GLVC match. The Norse hit the road next weekend for GLVC matches at Saint Joseph’s (Friday) and Indianapolis (Saturday).

NKU’s final two home matches of the season will be against Kentucky Wesleyan (Nov. 4) and West Virginia State (Nov. 5).

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