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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The fast-paced offense of Northern Kentucky University proved to be more than West Virginia State could handle Monday night in Regents Hall. Liz Holmes and Tristen Dye combined for 27 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks as NKU defeated West Virginia State, 30-23, 30-19, 30-24. Holmes slammed down 15 kills and attacked at a .400 clip, while Dye recorded 12 kills and a .407 hitting percentage. Dye added 10 digs and three service aces as the Norse improved to 10-8 overall with the in-region victory. West Virginia State, which leads the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record, fell to 13-5 with the loss. Holmes, a junior middle hitter and a graduate of Mercy High School in Cincinnati, also moved into 10th place on NKU's career list with 1,061 kills. West Virginia State had no answer for Holmes at the net, and she converted 15 kills in 30 attempts with three errors. NKU used a 7-1 run in the opening game to turn a 16-13 deficit into a 20-17 lead. After West Virginia State rallied to tie the score at 21-all, NKU ended the game with a 9-2 spurt for a 30-23 victory. In the second game, NKU limited West Virginia State to a .051 hitting percentage and coasted. The Norse wrapped up the match by attacking at a .405 clip in the third game and defeated the Yellow Jackets for the second straight year. Sophomore setter Natalie Forbes played the opening two games and finished with 26 assists, six digs and three blocks. Senior setter Andrea Lanham ran the team during the third game and dished out 14 assists. Kristina Eisenmenger collected eight kills and hit .294, while teammate Jennifer Wirtz had six kills and a .364 hitting percentage. Freshman middle hitter Nicole Baker added five blocks and three kills for NKU, which finished with four solo blocks and 17 block assists as a team. Kerri Kraus led West Virginia State with 10 kills and seven blocks. Blair Ruddle added nine kills for the Yellow Jackets, who hit .158 for the match. NKU will play host to Kentucky Wesleyan at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. The Norse then hit the road for GLVC matches at Quincy (Friday at 8 p.m.) and Missouri-St. Louis (Saturday at 3 p.m.) this weekend. |
