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FLORENCE, Ala. - When the AVCA national rankings are released for NCAA Division II volleyball next week, look for Northern Kentucky University to be included in the top 25. Given what they accomplished during the opening weekend of the season at the North Alabama Classic, the Norse have earned a spot among the nation's elite in the poll. On Friday, NKU shocked No. 9 North Alabama in five games on the Lions' home floor. And less than 24 hours later, the Norse knocked off No. 8 Ashland, 30-25, 32-30, 30-25, to finish the weekend 4-0. Tristen Dye recorded 16 kills and 12 digs to lead NKU in the victory against Ashland, which is the defending champion of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region. Liz Holmes added 10 kills for the Norse, who held Ashland star outside hitter Mary Kate Glowe to eight kills and a -.026 hitting percentage. "We served away from her, and tried to keep her from getting into any kind of rhythm," NKU assistant coach Michaele Blackburn said of the defense's success in containing Glowe. "That does not always work, but it forced her into trying to tip and roll, and our players did a great job of keeping (Ashland's) offense out of rhythm." Glowe, an All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standout who led Ashland to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight last season, finished with nine attacking errors. As a team, Ashland hit .171, while NKU attacked at a .200 clip. The Norse finished with a 57-33 advantage in digs as Dye, Brittany Dixon and Katie Latenser each collected 12. Kristina Eisenmenger added nine kills for NKU, which rallied from a 27-25 deficit in the second game to pick up a 32-30 win. Holmes and Dye each tallied kills to tie the score at 27-all, and the Norse closed out the second game with a kill by Eisenmenger and an ace by Latenser. Natalie Forbes finished with 39 assists and five digs for NKU. Chelsea Clark added five kills and seven digs. NKU begins its home season Tuesday night when Indiana Tech visits Regents Hall for a 7 p.m. match. That match can also be heard live on the Internet at www.nkunorse.com. |
