Liz Holmes

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team will hit the road this weekend for a pair of key Great Lakes Valley Conference matches, beginning with an 8 p.m. Friday showdown against Rockhurst at Kansas City, Mo.

Rockhurst is ranked 20th nationally in the latest NCAA Division II poll and is 11-1 overall, 2-0 in the GLVC. The Hawks will meet top-ranked Truman State on Wednesday before playing NKU.

The Norse will conclude their trip west on Saturday with a match against Drury at Springfield, Mo. Rockhurst and Drury are both competing in the GLVC for the first time this season.

Friday’s match will mark the first meeting between NKU and Rockhurst in volleyball. The Norse are 1-0 all-time against Drury.

NKU owns a 13-2 overall record, and the Norse are 2-0 in the GLVC. NKU extended its winning streak to seven last Saturday with a three-game sweep of Saint Joseph’s in Regents Hall.

Liz Holmes hammered down 10 kills and finished with a .526 hitting percentage Saturday as NKU defeated Saint Joseph’s, 30-12, 30-24, 30-17. Holmes, a sophomore and a graduate of Mercy High School in Cincinnati, recorded the 10 kills in 19 attempts with no errors.

Holmes leads the GLVC in kills per game (4.44) and ranks second in hitting percentage (.375). She also is third in the GLVC in service aces at 0.60 sapg.

Four NKU players rank in the top five in the GLVC in service aces per game. Lynne Fischesser is tied for first (0.61), Holmes is third, Andrea Lanham is fourth (0.55) and Natalie Forbes is fifth (0.52). NKU is No. 1 in the GLVC in aces at 3.09 sapg.

NKU freshman right-side hitter Kristina Eisenmenger ranks third in the GLVC in hitting percentage (.359). Eisenmenger recorded a career-high 27 kills last Friday to key NKU’s five-game victory over Indianapolis.

Lanham ranks third in the GLVC in assists per game (11.66 apg). NKU’s Tristen Dye is No. 3 in the GLVC in kills (4.00 kpg).

As a team, Rockhurst leads the GLVC in hitting percentage at .258. NKU is attacking at a .244 clip, which ranks second in the GLVC.